Continuum
by NoName541
Summary: The Reaper War has ended, leaving numerous civilizations and the Citadel in ruins. Now, as the galaxy tries to recover, Shepard and his team face new challenges from those who would unravel the fledgling peace that cost so much.
1. Strange Visions

Chapter 1: Strange Visions

"I've survived worse than this. Come on Shepard, get up, move your arms, blink, something!" the commander thought to himself as the overwhelming stench of burning flesh and metal filled his nostrils. He had no idea where he was, unable to move and nothing but the sound of fire crackling in the distance. Shepard's mind was racing, trying to think, trying to remember, trying to stand, to get back to his team, to help, anything. He thought of Garrus, and Grunt, and Tali, and most of all Liara. Had she survived the dash to the beam? Did the Normandy make it off the ground? Was there even still a Normandy?

The exchange between himself and the ghostly child on the Citadel raced through his mind. How he tried in vain to explain that using synthetics to exterminate organic life in order to prevent synthetics from exterminating organic life didn't make any sense. Had he made the right choice? Was it, should he….. what is that sound? A loud groan pierced the near silence; "were those girders creaking?" he thought. Was he still on the Citadel? Shepard tried again to open his eyes, but to no avail. Wherever he was, he was going to be there for a while.

In his mind, Shepard was screaming at the top of his lungs, but he knew no one could hear him. Left unable to move, all he could do was imagine, and hope. Suddenly from overhead, there was a bright white light, the sound of a breeze rushing through the trees and… birds chirping? Unsure of his surroundings, and with a strange sensation washing over him, he tried again to open his eyes, and much to his surprise Shepard found himself staring up at a bright blue sky, and what appeared to be a midday sun. His Alliance training kicked in, and he immediately started trying to get his bearings. He sat up, and looked down at himself, his Hahne-Kedar chest plate, much to his surprise, was completely undamaged, the red and black paint even had that "fresh off the line" glint to it. Looking around, Shepard found himself sitting in the middle of a field, surrounded by tall green grass, bending under the force of the wind. He stood up, and astonishingly there were no signs of a battle, no crashed ships, no bodies, not so much as an ejected thermal clip.

Was he dreaming? Even worse, was he dead? He could feel the sun on his face, and smell the grass, but was this real? Unsure of where he was, and nothing but calm, open field in seemingly any direction, Shepard was confused. "Where am I?" he thought, and considered looking for someone, anyone else, who might be able to help him find his way back. He had nothing with him except his armor, no omni-tool, no weapons, not even a flashlight. His training told him to stay put, set up camp, and wait for help to come. But there was something off about this place, it didn't remind him of any world he had been on, and he doubted that anyone would know where to look for him. Shepard weighed his options, and after several minutes, he decided to start walking, hoping to find a town or a settlement, or even a hill he could use to survey the area. Not certain of which way to go, and every path seeming to be no different than any other, he started off towards, what he hoped, would be help. Wherever he was, it didn't appear to be civilized, and certainly didn't appear to be under Reaper control.

As Shepard walked, thirsty, and with the sun beating down on him, he wondered about what was happening back In London. He grew angry that he wasn't there, and worried that he wouldn't make it back there in time. He remembered being on the Citadel now, and Admiral Anderson, knowing what the Illusive Man did to him, and how he let himself be tricked by the Reapers. "What a waste" Shepard thought to himself. Making his way across this peaceful garden planet, thoughts of his old crew, Traynor, Gabby and Ken, Dr. Chakwas, and Engineer Adams kept him going. Unable to get to any of them, all he could do was hope they were alright. Feeling fatigued, Shepard stumbled slightly as he walked, but he refused to stop, he had to get off this world, had to get back there, to London, to Earth, if only he could just keep going.

After what felt like hours, and still nothing but a glaring sun, and a forceful wind to break up the endless fields of grass, he grew angry. "This is getting me nowhere", Shepard said aloud, "There has to be something, a clue, a way out, just, something". He sat down, and stared up at the sky, the sun seemingly in the same place as when he set out. Putting his head in his hands, Commander Shepard began racking his brain, trying to figure out a new plan, when suddenly there was a thunderous crash; the seemingly unending plain began to explode around him. He heard shouting, coming from the distance, "Don't give up men! We have to hold this hill!" Shepard searched frantically for the source of the shouting, he looked back to see a platoon of Alliance Marines rushing towards him, guns drawn and firing, when suddenly another explosion rocked the ground next to him, covering him in dirt and debris.

Searching frantically for cover, Shepard found himself standing between two Mako tanks, appearing out of nowhere, that were firing in tandem at something he couldn't see. Following close behind, a small force of soldiers was marching, straight past him, not even acknowledging that he was there. Calling out to the first Marine who came by, "My name is Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy, what is going on here Marine?" but the soldier kept moving, without saying a word, "Soldier, who is in charge here?!" he shouted again, but still got no response. Searching around for a platoon leader, or even someone with a radio, he saw a handful of men standing behind one of the tanks. As he ran over to them, he demanded, "Sergeant! Where is your commanding officer?!" it wasn't until one of the troops turned towards him and began to fire, inches away from his face, that Shepard had the cold realization that nobody could see or hear him. Without warning, one of the Mako tanks exploded, and engulfed several troops in flames, the blast sending them flying into the air. Suddenly, a loud wail from overhead drowned out all the commotion. His mouth agape, Commander Shepard looked up to see a Harvester, swirling overhead, dropping several pods onto the ground in the distance. Red flashes begin whizzing past him, as over a dozen Marauders appeared to his right, leading what seemed like hundreds of Cannibals, and an unknown number of Husks.

The remaining squad of roughly thirty Marines was overwhelmingly outnumbered, and in the middle of this grassy field with no cover, they were sitting ducks. Not sure what to do, Shepard searched for a weapon, as one soldier after another dropped around him. Finding an Avenger rifle, and unsure of what would happen, he pointed it at the nearest Marauder and opened fire. He soon realized that it was having no effect as the rounds just bounced off the oncoming Reaper ground troops. Looking around at the smoldering tanks, and the bodies of the fallen soldiers, Shepard realized he was the only one left. He knelt down, and continued to fire in vain, the advancing force unfazed by his defense, when a grenade exploded about ten feet in front of him. He doubled over onto his stomach, and covered his face to shield himself from the blast. As he lifted his head, he could see that he was completely surrounded; the hundreds of troopers had stopped firing, and just stood there, motionless. Holding up the rifle, knowing it would not do any good, he scanned the line of Reapers that now encircled him, "come on you cowards!" he shouted, "it's just you and me, let's end this right now!" Shepard couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth, but none of the troops moved, or even made a sound. Trying desperately to take down as many of them as he could, Shepard grabbed whatever weapons he could find. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, none of them had any effect on the force standing before him. Becoming desperate, he began to throw things, whatever was small enough, but solid enough to hopefully do some damage, but nothing happened. Realizing his efforts were futile, Shepard stopped, and clutched another rifle that lay at his feet. Still, even after his display, not one of the Reapers had moved an inch, standing in place, seeming to stare at him with piercing eyes.

A loud, deafening shriek pierced the silence. It was so loud it brought Shepard to his knees. He tucked his head into his arm, in an attempt to block out the sound. Struggling to regain his footing, a chill ran up his spine as he realized the only thing that could produce such a sound. As the wailing continued, he writhed in pain and began to see flickers of smoldering buildings in is mind, a dark sky in contrast to the sunny plain turned battlefield he currently found himself in. He shook his head, trying to regain his focus over the ear splitting shriek that only seemed to get louder. He turned quickly, looking to his left, then to his right, and then as he turned completely around, a lone Banshee towered over him. Shepard looked up at the beast, grey and cold, horribly disfigured. These things were truly something out of a nightmare. Wailing again, in what seemed like agony, the Banshee thrust its claw squarely into Shepard's chest, his arms dropped to his sides, his rifle falling pitifully to the ground as the Banshee lifted him up. It stared into Shepard's eyes, seeming to look right into his soul; the mutated Asari began to speak with a terrifyingly familiar voice: "You think you can win this war, Commander Shepard?" the voice of Harbinger sent shockwaves through him, his body now feeling as if it were on fire. "You cannot defeat us Commander, no matter how many of our kind you kill, there are always more of us, and we will always find you" The visions began again, flashing all around him, the pain was immense. Struggling to get free of the Banshee, Harbinger spoke again "Your cause is lost, humanity will fall, your galaxy will fall and everyone you care about will be destroyed!"

_ "Where are you Shepard?!" _

There was another voice, coming from somewhere he could not see. Shepard could feel himself drifting away, as the images became more frequent. "Do not think you have stopped us, simply by reaching the catalyst!" the voice of Harbinger demanded, as the Banshee slung him to the ground. It turned its head to the sky in one final shriek, as it, along with the rest of the Reaper force dissolved into the air. Now able only to move his arms, Shepard clutched at his sides, the pain was unimaginable. As the grassy plain flashed in front of him, transforming itself into images of a fiery wasteland, sudden jolts of pain ran from his chest. Panic and confusion swept over Shepard, unable to discern what was real, and what was not.

He could feel his eyes flickering as he clung to the last bit of life he had in him. The sunny sky was now a smoky blackness, the grass replaced by hundreds of bodies all around him. Shepard's Armor, now charred and almost unrecognizable, was covered in thick black soot, and any number of other things that he didn't want to imagine. A familiar voice cried out, "Over here! Quick! I've found something!" as slowly, an almost comforting warmth washed over Commander Shepard. He could feel his heart beating very faintly, though his whole body was in excruciating pain. "Garrus?" he thought, recognizing the voice. "Hang in there Shepard; you're going to be alright. Just hold on!" He felt his eyes flutter again as a blinding light appeared overhead, the shriek of the banshee replaced with the familiar hum of a small shuttle's engine. "Goddess Tell me he's still alive!" he heard the sweetest voice he could have imagined. "Liara" he felt the name fall out of his mouth, as his eyes closed again, a hand tightly clenching his "I will not lose you again Shepard!" he heard Liara exclaim. He tried to call out to her, but the pain was overwhelming. Commander Shepard, "Hero of The Citadel", "Vanquisher of Saren", "and Destroyer of the Collectors" prayed to himself at that moment, only to see his love again. A single tear rolled down his cheek, as he felt himself drift back into unconsciousness.


	2. Scar Tissue

Chapter 2: Scar Tissue

It had been eighty seven days since Commander Shepard was found among the jagged remains of the Citadel that had crashed to Earth. The city of London lay in ruins, emergency crews and resources were scattered and disorganized. The Human Alliance, along with the other allied races, had sent thousands of doctors to Earth, hundreds to the city of London in an attempt to save as many of the remaining citizens as they could. Dozens of teams of Engineers had been dispatched to help establish medical centers in whatever buildings were sturdy enough to support them. After discovering him about forty miles outside of London, Shepard had been transferred to "Arcturus Memorial", the first built, and best established post war medical center. Made up in a historical Royal Estate that was largely ignored by Reaper forces during the invasion, it was the primary medical facility in Europe and people from hundreds of miles away had flocked there looking for treatment, food, and shelter. The remaining members of the Normandy Crew had become mainstays at the hospital, working in shifts guarding Shepard's room; their respective governments had granted them the proper leave under the circumstances, and nobody at the hospital had the heart to turn them away.

Liara hadn't left the hospital since Shepard's transport there. Rarely able to actually go to his bedside, a room was made up for her in the adjoining area, which was formerly a servant's quarters. Shepard was in the main bedroom of the estate, which had been refitted by the Alliance engineers to bring it up to medical standards. The ornate wooden doors had been replaced by an airtight hatch, and a large viewing window had been installed, overlooking his bed and newly installed monitors and medical equipment, also a decontamination chamber along with several other upgrades to the facility. Shepard was hooked up to several machines, his breathing tube only recently removed. It was hard for Liara to see the man she loved in this condition, so she tried to distract herself with other things "Glyph, have we received any reports from the Athena Nebula?" Liara demanded of her drone assistant. "Nothing yet Dr. T'Soni, the Comm Buoy Network in the Sol System has not been fully re-established, reports and communications with agents operating outside of Earth's atmosphere are sparse and generally incoherent". Liara worried about Thessia, and was distraught at not hearing word from Feron since the assault, but refused to let Shepard out of her sight. After narrowly escaping the "Collector" attack on the original Normandy and watching the Citadel explode with Shepard still on board, she wouldn't be anywhere but at his side.

There was a knock on the door, and Liara instructed the visitor to enter. "Liara, Jacob Taylor is here to see Shepard, is it alright to let him in?" Ashley asked, her head just poking in the door to Liara's room. "Yes Ashley it is fine, I am just having Glyph run some minor tasks at the moment." Ashley's head pulled back out of sight, and the door slowly opened, as Jacob walked in, wearing his usual combat gear. "Hey doctor T'Soni, any updates on the Commander?" he asked softly, to which Liara replied, "No Mr. Taylor, unfortunately he still has not woken up, and Dr. Chakwas says there has been almost no change in his brain activity since he arrived here. If you want to see him, you may do so through the window there, I will give you some space, I apologize however, that I will not be leaving the room." Jacob didn't seem surprised, and walked over to the window as Liara went and sat back down by her terminal, trying desperately to get a connection with her agents.

Looking in at his motionless body, Jacob began "It's hard to see you like this Shepard, but I'm glad you're still alive. After you wake up, I get to tell my grandkids, "I was there both times Commander Shepard came back to life". Brynn wants you to know that she's sending her best. She'd have come with me, but she's been taking it easy ever since the Crucible was finished, I'm making her rest what with the baby on the way and everything. Besides, I wasn't sure how people would respond to seeing former Cerberus agents walking around the hospital. Get well soon Shepard; I still owe you those drinks in Rio. The other doctors and their families all sent pictures and thank you letters; I hope you get to look at them soon." Jacob smiled a half smile as he turned away from the window and took a few steps towards the door. "Thanks for letting me see him Doctor, I know he means a lot to you, and since we don't know each other, and my being ex-Cerberus, I understand you not leaving the room". Jacob started walking towards the door, as Liara spoke up, "Jacob, those pictures and letters, I will make sure that he gets them, where are they?" "I put them outside with the others" he replied. Not knowing what Jacob meant, she asked, "what others?"

Liara stood up and followed Jacob out into the atrium where Ashley was still standing guard. He led her out into a service hallway and pointed to his left towards a large storage closet "those others" he instructed. As she walked through the doorway, she was unprepared for what she saw. There before them was a mountain of letters, pictures, vids, and audio recordings. Stunned, Liara walked over to the pile and started grasping at a few of them, glancing over the contents; she exclaimed "by the Goddess, there must be thousands of these here!" And there were. Mountains of thank you letters and well wishes from countless people filled nearly the entire room. Letters from Alliance soldiers deployed all over earth, audio recordings from mothers and fathers, even some pictures of children wearing homemade "N7" armor sporting a "thumbs up" and smiling in the arms of their parents. There were several pieces of correspondence from the Sword fleet, and the ones who had come to Earth following the fall of the Reapers: Quarians, Turians, Krogan, Salarian, Asari, there was even a crudely written "Get Well Soon" card from a Batarian who was a crewman on a ship in Aria's fleet. Liara was breathless as she stared down at the seemingly endless pile in front of her. "He means the world to a lot of people, Doctor" Jacob said, "they know what he did for them, and they are thankful for it." He picked up what he had added to the collection and handed it to her. With a nod, he turned around and walked back into the elevator and out of sight.

Still floored from what she was seeing, Liara regained her composure, and walked back into her room, dutifully placing the letters from Jacob's team in a locked cabinet next to her bed. She then hurried over to the window, and looked in at Shepard's still motionless body. "You have to wake up" she ordered, receiving only the beeps of the machines in response, "Come on Shepard, open your eyes, get up! Do it for all these people counting on you, do it for Garrus, wake up for Ashley, or Mr. Taylor, or any of the people you've saved! Please, just come out of this…. For me" placing one hand on the cold glass, Liara felt herself starting to cry. She bowed her head down, and held her other hand over her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. Just then, she heard a slight rap on the door as it slowly opened. Wiping her face, Liara turned around to see Dr. Chakwas slowly entering the room.

"Are you alright Liara?" Dr. Chakwas asked as she walked over and placed her hand on Liara's shoulder. "I'll be fine" she replied, still wiping the tears from her face "is there anything new in the rest results?" "Well, as you already know, most of the permanent scarring is in fact superficial. There was significant internal damage, but we were able to treat him in time and his organs have healed at least to a stable condition. His implants have helped to sufficiently repair the damage to both his nervous system and his bone structure. Since we got him stabilized, it would appear that his body is healing itself rather normally" Liara was happy to hear that last part, "Is there any estimate on when he'll wake up, or what to expect when he does?" she asked. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you the answer to that question. His brain activity, while not significantly hindered, remains largely unchanged. While it appears to be functioning normally, there is no telling the extent of psychological damage the Commander has endured, until he wakes up" Dr. Chakwas' response caused Liara to start crying again. "In the meantime, I suggest you take care of yourself a little bit. While I know I won't be able to pry you away for long, it would do you some good to at least get out of this room, maybe even off this floor for a little while. The Engineering team managed to save a small arboretum over on the other side of the estate, I think it would do you some good to go and relax for a bit. Lt. Commander Williams is right outside the door, also I believe Grunt is on his way up and no one will get in here to harm the commander. I am close by, and I will contact you immediately on your Omni-tool if anything should happen." Dr. Chakwas was right, as much as Liara didn't want to leave; she knew she would go crazy if she didn't at least take a walk. Unwilling to debate, she gathered up a few things, and set out to explore the hospital.

After travelling through several corridors, and passing by countless refugees, Liara stumbled onto the arboretum that Dr. Chakwas had mentioned. It was roughly half the length of an American football field, and the glass roof allowed a pleasant amount of sunshine in. There was a stone walkway leading down the middle of it, with several benches lining the sides. She walked up to a small collection of rose bushes, and sat down in the grass next to them. The room was surprisingly comfortable, unlike the rest of the hospital, as it had been running on backup generators since it re-opened just hours after the "Citadel Beam Event" as it had semi-officially been named. Liara pulled out a data pad, and tried to get a connection to the extranet. "Groundside communication bandwidth has reached nearly 30% Dr. T'Soni" Glyph declared almost proudly as it emerged from within one of the rose bushes. "Glyph, get me the Alliance communications with the infrastructure repair teams in the area. I want to see if there is anything I can do to help. "As you wish Doctor, it should appear on your datapad now".

Skimming through several field reports and messages between commanders on the ground, Liara was somewhat relieved to see that the rest of the world had begun rebuilding, even without Shepard out there knocking heads around. With the recent influx of patients, "Arcturus Memorial Hospital" administrators were cutting energy use wherever it wasn't critical and, unfortunately for most, that meant air conditioning use was negligible. The weather in London was surprisingly warm, the temperature sometimes getting over ninety degrees Fahrenheit, and in the cramped quarters of the overcrowded manor, it seemed like it was much warmer than that. The Alliance was putting forth their best efforts to restore Earth's infrastructure, along with whatever semblances of local government remained, but it was slow-going. Most utility buildings were completely destroyed, and even with the armies of friendly Geth working to assist, the obstacles to complete restoration were quite formidable.

Multi-species laborers and engineers had re-established only 4 functioning medical facilities on the island, Arcturus Memorial along with 3 smaller emergency care centers. Detachments of Alliance Marines, with the aid of several Krogan (mostly from Clan Urdnot) were running law enforcement, although crime was nearly nonexistent since the only things worth stealing were weapons and medical supplies, which were under heavy guard by teams of Asari Commando Units. The Quarians were running most of the logistical operations, transporting resources and people, and using their expertise in field medicine to perform first aid where they could, while the Geth were primarily focused on clearing debris and restoring power facilities. They had put in place a plan to use the drive cores of heavily damaged ships as replacement high volume generators until more permanent power sources could be brought online. Liara was surprised at the ingenuity of the newly upgraded Geth, as she continued to read the reports and communique that Glyph had provided.

After about an hour, she had contented herself with the fact that things were beginning to be repaired, and after making several plans to improve operations, Liara packed up her equipment and headed back towards her room next to Shepard. As she walked out of the arboretum, she heard Garrus call out to her from down a long dimly lit hallway, full of sick and injured patients. "It sure is a mess down here" Garrus said, "but it's good to see you decided to get away for a minute." "I needed to get back into my work for a little while Garrus; the garden over there just provided a semi-quiet place for me to focus for a while. Besides, I fear Dr. Chakwas would have chased me out of the room with that stick of yours, had I not agreed to leave the room for a while". They both chuckled at the thought as they got into the elevator back up to the top floor. "Tali wanted me to let her know how you're doing. She's been worried about you since we got Shepard back to the hospital. She couldn't make it today, some big happenings with the Admiralty Board I guess, but I'm glad I have something good to report" Garrus smiled. "How about you Garrus, how have you been handling everything?" Liara inquired. He was visibly exhausted, his mandibles lazily twitching as he spoke, and his eyes drooping. "I hope you are finding time to rest, I would hate to have to visit you here right after Shepard recovers" Liara scolded in an almost motherly way.

As it reached the top, the two exited the elevator and walked into the waiting area outside the recovery room. At the same time they noticed Grunt, who was sitting in a chair next to the door, taking a nap. "Damn tank bred Krogan, can't even trust them to watch a door" Garrus said with a grin, as he walked over to Grunt. He quietly lowered his head down and prepared to shout, in an attempt to scare him awake. But just as he took in a deep breath, Grunt's head shot up and he shouted, "Don't even think about it Vakarian!" Garrus leapt back, nearly shooting out of his exo-suit. Liara jumped, startled and catching her breath she started to smile. Grunt began to laugh heartily "Allies or not, a Krogan always knows when a Turian enters the room. I smelled you before you even got off the elevator!" Smiling, he stood up and proclaimed, "Do you need to go change before you take over, Garrus? Heh heh heh" Garrus, clearly embarrassed said, "It's good to see the Salarians didn't sterilize your sense of humor, Grunt" and after a few moments, Grunt walked out of the room thoroughly pleased with himself.

Liara patted Garrus on the shoulder, "It's alright Garrus, and I'll only tell a few people that I saw Archangel fill his pants in fear. The changing station is just over there if you need it." To Liara, it felt good to smile again, even if it was at the expense of a good friend. Garrus was anxious to end this encounter, and said "I think somebody is waiting for you T'Soni", as Liara chuckled to herself and walked back through the door into her room. Dr. Chakwas had left, and the small servant's quarters felt particularly empty. She walked over to her bed and began to type on her terminal once again. Looking out the window, she could see the sun setting off in the distance. "I wish you could see this with me Travis" Liara said to herself, for the first time in a while calling Shepard by his first name. She dimmed the small lamp that was next to her bed, and stared out the window. After the sun had completely disappeared, she stood up and walked over to the glass separating her from Shepard's room. She looked in at him lying there, and said a silent prayer to herself. "As much as I would love to stay up all night with you, I am feeling particularly tired this evening. If you wake up before I do, make sure you don't go off to save the galaxy again without saying goodbye." Liara half-heartedly smiled, and walked over to change into her pajamas. She lied down in the small bed and turned the light off the rest of the way. Lying there for several moments, the only light coming from through the glass to the other room, she imagined Shepard walking up to the window, as she felt herself fall asleep.

Waking up, Liara slowly climbed out of bed, the sun shining in through the window. It was morning, and the normal rabble of doctors and assistants throughout the hospital could be faintly heard. She changed into one of Shepard's "Alliance Navy" t-shirts, although it was slightly big on her, and a pair of what looked like track pants. She walked over to the glass, "good morning my love" she said as she turned and walked over to the door. Peeking out to see Vega sitting there, she said "good morning James, you're here early." "I've been here since zero five Liara, I relieved Garrus early. He's tough, even for a Turian, but I don't think he's slept in days. I'll be here most of the day until Massani shows up, whenever that will be. I brought some breakfast if you're hungry."

The two sat and ate, and talked for over an hour. They talked about the times on the Normandy, the different worlds they went to, and debated on what the keepers were doing now that the Citadel was out of commission. They talked about the rest of the team, and Liara discovered that Vega had a thing for Ashley, although he wasn't going to act on it right away, considering the circumstances. After a while, Dr. Chakwas came in, "I'm just here to check on our patient, pretend I'm not even here" she announced as she hurried towards the door. "Please Doctor, you should come and sit with us for a while, you've been working yourself sick, and are as stressed as the rest of us. Come and talk with us, Doctor's Orders" Liara said with a smile. Realizing she had no grounds to argue, she replied "I suppose you're right. Let me go check on him, and I will set with you after." She walked into the room, and shut the door behind her. James and Liara continued talking for a while, and eventually noticed that the Doctor had been in with Shepard for an unusual amount of time. Liara grew worried, and was about to walk in when the door opened. "Liara, could you come here for a moment?" Dr. Chakwas asked politely. She stood up and walked towards the door, wondering what the situation was.

Dr. Chakwas led her into the room, and over to the glass. "Liara, I've been looking at the charts, and there is a slight increase in brain activity over the last six hours, which would imply that Shepard was dreaming last night. With this wonderful news, I had an idea. While there is nothing further we can do for him medically, I've heard of coma patients waking up due to small things like a touch, a kind word from a loved one, a revisited memory, something along those lines. I would like to start having you go into the room and just sitting and talking with him for a while. Hold his hand, speak to him, and maybe talk about things that he would remember. I think it might stimulate brain activity, and may bring him back to us. Would you mind giving it a try?" Liara was confused, but was willing to try anything to help Shepard wake up. She slowly walked over to the door leading to the next room, and after decontamination, walked in to Shepard's bedside. She looked over to see Dr. Chakwas standing near the window, looking at one of the monitors Shepard was hooked up to.

She was instantly overcome with emotion. It had been several weeks since she had gone into this room, and had forgotten what it was like. She felt heaviness in her stomach, realizing that she had forgotten what it felt like in here. The overwhelming smell of disinfectant and the overt beeping of the monitors was a grim and sudden reminder. Composing herself, she leaned over and looked down at his resting figure. "Shepard…" she started to say, getting slightly choked up. "Dr. Chakwas says you had a dream last night, I hope it was a pleasant one. She thought it would be a good idea for me to come in here to talk to you, thought that maybe it would help you to wake up" Liara looked closely at him, she began to reach out, then stopped. She looked over at the Doctor through the window, who nodded in approval. Liara took Shepard's hand in hers, surprised to see that most of the scarring on his face and arms had healed, although a sheet covered most of his torso and legs. "Do you remember the day we met? When you found me on Therum, trapped in that Prothean bubble hiding from Saren's mercenaries? I knew that day that there was something special about you, although I wasn't the best at expressing what I felt. I didn't know, however, that you would spend the next several years helping me to achieve things that I never thought possible. Well now it is my turn to help you. I want to help you Shepard, I owe you that much"

Overcome with emotion, Liara felt her eyes welling up again. As she turned to leave, she tried to take her hand away, but realized she couldn't. She struggled slightly, until she realized that Shepard was holding her, "You've already helped me Liara, more than you know" his voice was faint and scratchy. Not fully grasping what was going on, she looked up at the window to see Dr. Chakwas standing there smiling. "I can't believe the doctor took credit for my idea though, that's kind of low, considering my condition." It finally hit her that he was actually awake. A slew of emotions hit her at once as she looked over to see Shepard smiling, and his eyes slowly opening. She wanted to wrap him in a hug, and hit him for playing a trick on her all at once. As much as she tried to speak, she couldn't get the words out of her mouth, she just squeaked and grunted, and made a few unintelligible noises. "You know, you're kind of cute when you're confused" Shepard quipped weakly, a huge smile now plastered on his face. Before she could say anything, Liara began to feel dizzy. She reached out for something to balance on, unable to find a good grip; she fainted and fell to the floor.

Author's Note: Hey everyone, thanks for reading the first couple of chapters. I'll put new ones up as often as I can, which should be around two or three per week. I'm relatively new to this, so please feel free to leave reviews, and let me know what you think, ways you think I can improve, or possibly something you'd like to see in the future. Otherwise, I hope you're enjoying it so far, and thanks again for reading.


	3. Old Habits

Chapter 3: Old Habits

Feeling groggy, Liara slowly awoke to a throbbing pain in her head. Looking down she saw that she was in her bed.

"Goddess, my head is killing me, what in the name of Athame happened?" She looked around the room, finding nothing out of place, and saw that the sun was beginning to set. "Oh my, did I sleep all day?" she was still confused and dizzy, her head throbbing as Dr. Chakwas walked into the room.

"Oh my, Liara you're awake. How are you feeling? You took a nasty spill" she said, handing Liara a pack of ice for the small bump that had formed on the side of her head.

Liara looked around, slightly puzzled, "What happened doctor?" she asked.

"What is the last thing you remember?" the doctor asked holding up a small flashlight to her eyes, checking for signs of a concussion.

"The last thing I remember, I was sitting with James, waiting for you to finish checking on Shep…." Liara stopped instantly as she remembered what had happened, "Goddess Karin, where is he?!" she demanded, leaping out of bed, she bolted to the window into Shepard's room. Looking through the glass she could see Shepard sitting up. Garrus and Ashley were in the room; the three of them were talking and laughing, seeming to recant stories from past adventures. She saw a weak smile come from Shepard, while Garrus was laughing as he slapped Ashley on the back.

Dr. Chakwas had walked up behind her, she looked over at Liara and said, "Not that I have to ask, but would you like to go in and see him now?" barely able to contain herself, Liara nodded as the doctor entered Shepard's room.

"Alright everyone, the Commander needs his rest. You may come back and visit him tomorrow, come along now." Dr. Chakwas instructed them sternly. Ashley nodded and said her good bye to Shepard, but Garrus hung back.

He walked over and with a sigh he said, "It's good to have you back Shepard. There are a lot of asses left to kick in this galaxy, and I would hate to have to do it all by myself" with a slight chuckle he walked past the doctor and out of the room.

Dr. Chakwas walked over to one of the machines and wrote a few things on a datapad that was close by. "How are you feeling Commander?" she inquired.

"Honestly doc, I feel like there's an Elcor standing on my chest. My mouth tastes like I've been chewing on metal, and I may be hallucinating, but I swear there's a Vorcha screaming in here somewhere, and my ears are ringing" he replied weakly, "but I'm not dead, so all in all, I can't complain."

"The taste in your mouth is from being hooked up to a breathing apparatus for several weeks and the heavy levels of medicine you've been on, it should go away in a day or two. As far as the pain in your chest, your bones are still healing, also the cybernetic implants were severely damaged and are repairing themselves as well, and this is causing the pressure. It will take some time, but that pain too will go away. In the meantime, there is someone who would like to see you." Dr. Chakwas stepped to the side of the room, allowing Shepard to see over to the doorway. Liara was standing there, still wearing the t-shirt and track pants from before.

"I think that shirt looks better on you, than it ever did on me" Shepard struggled to get the words out, it hurt him to speak above a whisper. Liara just stood in the doorway, staring at him, searching for something to say.

"I'll give the two of you some space" Dr. Chakwas said as she walked past Liara and back out of the room, leaving the couple alone.

"Shepard, I…."

"I'm glad you're here Liara" he interjected. She walked over and sat down on a chair next to his bed.

Scooting closer to him she said, "I have waited for this moment for so long, sat here watching the days turn into nights and back into days. And now that I can finally let loose everything I've held in for so long, I cannot find the right words" tears of joy were running down her face as Shepard reached over and, with one finger, lifted her chin up and said, "I've missed you too." Liara smiled as she grabbed Shepard's hand and held his palm against her face.

"I love you, Travis Shepard", she said softly.

"I love you too, Liara T'Soni" he replied. She stood up, leaned over and embraced him with a deep, passionate kiss. As she pulled away he stopped her, their eyes met as Shepard winced in pain. "Goddess, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'll be fine" Shepard responded, clutching at his side. Liara sat back down in the chair, worrying that she had hurt him. "Just getting used to the new body" he said as he grabbed her hand again, reassuring her that it wasn't her fault. The two sat quietly for several minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Liara looked up to say something, but she noticed that he had begun to nod off again.

A new wave of sedatives was kicking in, and Shepard was becoming slightly loopy. "Thank you for getting rid of that Vorcha, my head is starting to feel better." Not sure of what he meant, Liara just smiled and replied, "You are quite welcome, and I suppose that makes us even now?"

"Definitely" he said, tilting his head back onto the pillow. Liara wanted to climb up in the bed with him, but did not want to hurt him again, so she simply rested her head on his chest. She locked her fingers into his and asked "I'm not hurting your chest, am I?" After not getting a response she looked up and saw that he had fallen asleep. She turned her head back and laid it down again, almost instantly falling asleep as well.

The next morning had come, although the sun had not yet risen, and Liara awoke to find a blanket over her shoulders; she looked up to see Shepard still asleep. She stood up, and kissed him on the forehead, and walked out into her room. Stretching as she walked across the floor, she felt stiff and groggy from sleeping in the chair. She gathered up a few things and walked out into the atrium where, she was surprised to find, the entire crew of the Normandy, minus Joker and EDI, had gathered there over night. There were several passed out in chairs and on the floor; even Admiral Hackett had shown up and had fallen asleep with his head resting on Grunt's shoulder. Liara stepped gently over the sleeping bodies and walked out into the hallway.

She found Dr. Chakwas mulling over a datapad, "good morning Liara, I'm surprised to see you up so early" she said, not taking her eyes off her work.

"Good morning Doctor, I take it word has gotten out about Shepard?" Liara replied inquisitively.

Dr. Chakwas simply looked up at her and said "Everyone who knows about it is in that room over there, plus Joker, and the two of us of course, and I highly doubt any of them would be inclined to spill the beans. Actually, I would like to speak to you in private if you wouldn't mind sparing a moment." Dr. Chakwas led Liara down the hallway to a small room containing a desk, a couple of chairs and several small piles of datapads.

The two sat down on either side of the desk, and Liara asked "what is the trouble doctor?"

"I would like to start by apologizing to you Liara, as I have not been totally forthright with you" the doctor stated plainly, as a look of worry appeared on Liara's face. "Do not be alarmed, everything I have told you about Shepard's condition is accurate, however his physical state is not exactly what I need to discuss with you. I have been providing updates to the Citadel Council, regarding Shepard's condition; two days ago before I could stop myself I let slip that I presumed he would be waking soon. They want to be on the first transport here as soon as they learn he has come to. While I have not told them yet, I cannot wait long, otherwise word will get out by other means. I wanted to be the one to tell you this, for I fear they want him back Liara. The alliances he forged have become fragile quickly, now that there is no common enemy and many fear that the commander was actually killed in action. The Krogan and Turian alliance in particular is growing thin, and the council fears that Urdnot Wrex and Bakara alone may not be enough to quell the innate hostilities."

Liara was visibly angry now, she hadn't even had Shepard back an entire day and already she had to worry that the council was trying to ship him off on another mission "There has to be something we can do, we do not know the full extent of his injuries, or how long it will take him to recover fully!" she exclaimed.

"Unfortunately Liara, as he is a Council Spectre, if they act to invoke his return then he must, they may claim jurisdiction over when he must return to active duty, and even where he is treated if they feel he is not recovering fast enough. We were fortunate that this place was the most viable option at the time, but the Charon Relay is close to being brought back online, and if we do not comply with them, they may have him sent to another treatment facility, and we will lose anyway" Dr. Chakwas' words angered Liara. After thanking the doctor for alerting her to the situation, she stood up and walked out of the room.

Unsure of whether to be furious, or devastated, Liara walked back into the atrium where all the crewmen were still asleep. Making her way back into her room, she peeked in at Shepard and saw that he had sat up. She walked back in through decontamination, and hurriedly sat down next to him. "What's the matter Liara?" he questioned, seeing that she was upset about something.

"It is nothing we cannot discuss later" she replied, forcing a smile, "right now, there are some people who would like to see you, if you're up to it". Although he could tell she was upset, Shepard nodded and, just as quickly as she had entered, Liara walked back out to the atrium where some of the current residents had begun to stir. "The commander is awake, if you would like to see him" she announced, as slowly they began to wake up.

"Gah, finally. I thought he was going to sleep all day" Grunt said, as he stood he shook Admiral Hackett off of his shoulder and walked through the door to Shepard's room. The crew spent most of the day visiting. One by one they filed in to see him, until the last one had exited, leaving only Shepard, Liara, Garrus, and Tali in the room.

"So Shepard, now that you're awake, are you ready to go out and save the galaxy again? I hear that since you destroyed the Reapers, the Hanar are eyeing some new territory, and are getting a little frisky" Garrus said with a chuckle.

"This one would pay a million credits to see the Hanar on the march, Garrus" Shepard replied, laughing along with him.

"Come on now Garrus, Shepard is not in any condition to go off fighting the jellyfish hordes just yet" Tali chimed in. Liara chuckled meekly, still unsettled by the earlier conversation with Dr. Chakwas. Just the thought of Shepard running off somewhere on a mission made her stomach turn, even if it were only to put down a Hanar invasion.

Not given a second longer to dwell, Glyph appeared, suddenly rising up through Shepard's stomach "Dr. T'Soni, interplanetary Comm Buoy Network functionality has reached eighty-seven percent; Alliance command manifests show several requisition orders indicating plans for extra-solar travel. It is possible that the Mass Relay system is nearing full operation. Also, there are four thousand nine hundred thirty two new messages in your personal inbox. They have been prioritized based on your last entered preference settings."

"Liara, please get this thing off of me, I'm pretty sure it's cataloguing my dinner" Shepard said with an uneasy grin.

"Greetings Commander, scans indicate that your protein level is .03% below expected, and your sodium is .76% above recommended. Perhaps you should consider lowering your salt intake" Glyph stated with a flicker of light.

"I'm sorry, but did that thing just make a bad joke?" Tali asked, looking over to Liara, slightly befuddled.

"Come now Glyph, get out of Shepard" Liara laughed as Glyph beeped away back out of sight, almost seeming to laugh as it went. Liara kissed Shepard on the cheek and walked back into the other room.

"Ok, so is it just me, or does something seem off about the good doctor?" Garrus inquired, looking over at Shepard.

"Something is bothering her Garrus, but she wouldn't tell me what it is. Unfortunately I can't get out of this bed to go find out." Shepard replied, a slight look of worry on his face.

"Perhaps, this is something more of a 'girl talk' kind of conversation. I will go and talk to her" Tali announced as she walked out of the room.

"So Garrus, you and Tali ever make it official?" Shepard asked.

"Well, I'm not sure what you'd call 'official' but surviving the end of the galaxy has a way of, bringing people together" Garrus replied.

"I'm glad to hear it Vakarian, you need somebody to keep you in line when I'm not around. So, what's it like out there? How bad is it?" Shepard inquired.

"It's not pretty" Garrus began, "the relays were pretty badly damaged after, whatever the hell that red beam was, shot out of the Citadel. Have to imagine it was pretty powerful, considering the Reapers began falling out of the sky right afterwards. You'll have to tell me the story some time. But, basically, the entire planet Earth looks just like it did in London that night, minus the evil laser beam shooting robots flying around. But we're rebuilding, Shepard. And people are working together for the most part, and that's thanks to you. Power is back to a lot of the planet, and even running water in some cases. Binary Helix and Sirta Foundation have really stepped up with the donations of medical supplies, and the casualty rates are decreasing by the day."

Shepard was happy to hear that Earth had begun putting the pieces back together, but he felt like Garrus was hiding something. "What about the other planets like Rannoch, Tuchanka, and Palaven? Have you heard anything from your family, Garrus?"

"Well we haven't been getting consistent reports from the other systems, and with the relays down, interstellar travel has been impossible. However, I did get word from my sister. As you know, they made it off Palaven and met up with a Turian cruiser on its way to the Crucible. I spoke with Admiral Hackett, and last he knew, they were on board a refugee ship under his command. I wanted to leave this out for now, and Liara would kill me if I told you, but there really is something going on with the Krogan. Wrex's brother, Wreav, has been stirring up trouble. Wrex has been having a hard time keeping him under control. He's very outspoken about taking vengeance on the galaxy over the Genophage, and he's garnering some support amongst their ranks." Garrus explained.

"I sure hope Wrex can keep him under control for now. What about the Citadel? How bad is it? What about the Council?" Shepard asked.

Garrus looked over to the window to see Tali and Liara still talking in the next room, seeing that he was still clear to go on, he continued "The Citadel, while still mostly structurally intact, was nearly vaporized on the interior. There are teams of engineers working round the clock to restore it, and crews of Geth scouring through the ruins trying to find any survivors, but they haven't turned up anything yet. Two of the Wards became completely disconnected from the Presidium ring, and would have just floated through space if they hadn't been reeled in by a small fleet of Quarian and Geth ships, although I hear they're in one piece. It's good to see that those two groups are able to work together so well so quickly, considering how bad the hostilities were before. As far as the council goes, Dalatrass Linron survived, but her injuries have prevented her from participating actively. The rest of the council remains intact, Councilors Valern and Irissa, except Udina, you know what happened to him."

As Garrus finished his last sentence, he saw Tali and Liara stand up out of the corner of his eye. Liara walked out into the atrium as Tali walked into Shepard's room and said, "Garrus, can I talk to Shepard alone for a minute?"

Garrus obliged, saying "I'll catch up with you later Shepard. Think I'll take a walk through London, scope the bar scene for when I rescue you from this place." He smiled and walked out the door.

Shepard was worried now, "Well Tali, what did she say?" he asked.

"Well, she wouldn't exactly tell me… She just kept going on about what a bunch of Bosh'tets the councilors were. I was actually surprised when she literally said "Bosh'tet", thought I was the only one that said that. Anyway, she wouldn't say much other than that. I think you're probably just going to have to wait for her to tell you on her own, Shepard" Tali replied "So, unless you need something else, I think I'm going to go it is getting pretty late."

He didn't want to let on, but Shepard was a little anxious to be alone. Ever since he had woken up, his room was always bustling with visitors and doctors. "I'll be alright Tali, thank you" he told her, trying not to sound too eager.

"Alright I'll see you later Shepard, take it easy." she said as she walked out, leaving Shepard alone with his thoughts.

The quiet was nice. With nothing but the beeping of the monitors to break the silence, Shepard let his mind wander. He started to miss the days on the original Normandy, flying around running errands for Arcturus and Admiral Hackett seemed like a vacation at this point. He remembered driving the Mako around with Wrex and Garrus, and Tali, and Kaidan. He thought that fateful day on Virmire, he imagined watching the explosion in Saren's facility with Kaidan still planet side. He could hear in his mind, Kaidan screaming as the blast tore him apart.

Suddenly Shepard shot up in his bed, breathing hard, and dripping in a cold sweat. He looked at the window to see that the sun had gone down. He had fallen asleep shortly after Tali had left. Catching his breath he searched around the room. He saw Liara by the window, resting on a mattress on the floor that she must have brought in while he was asleep. Shepard grabbed a glass of water and took a drink as Liara began to stir.

"You're awake" she said groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah, didn't even realize I fell asleep" Shepard replied, as Liara got up and walked over to his bedside.

"Shepard, I am sure you are wondering what has been troubling me" she stated abruptly.

"Something's bothering you? I hadn't noticed" he replied in a jokingly sarcastic tone.

As if she hadn't noticed, Liara began again "I suppose that the best thing is to just come right out with it. I spoke with Dr. Chakwas this morning, and she told me that the council has been very adamant about seeing you. I am afraid that they want to ship you back off to fight another battle Shepard, and I do not want you to go, not after everything that has happened" a tear rolled down Liara's cheek.

Wiping the tear away, Shepard replied "Liara, we don't know what the council wants. Maybe they just want to give me my walking papers, or a nice fancy retirement package. Hell, they might even just want to debrief me. Liara, the Reapers are gone, and most of the galaxy is on the same side now. And given my current state, I highly doubt they want me out there picking mercs or Terminus crime lords off with a sniper rifle." Shepard stopped, and lowered his head. He pulled the sheet that was covering him down, revealing his torso and legs which were riddled with scars and burn marks. "Honestly I just don't think they'd want to shell out the credits for a combat mobility suit."

Shepard assumed Liara would be shocked by the sight but, surprising to him, she seemed more intrigued. She lowered her hand down gently onto his stomach, and gently ran her fingertips along his scars. Liara's hand began to dimly glow blue with biotics as she moved her hand slowly over Shepard's abrasions.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked, pulling her hand back.

"Not anymore" Shepard replied.

"Good, then you won't mind me imposing on you for the night" Liara said with a smile, as she climbed up onto the bed with him "no matter what the council says, you promised me a house with a bunch of little blue children, and I intend to collect." She laid her head down on his chest as he wrapped her arm around her shoulder, where they stayed until they fell asleep.


	4. Right To Council

Chapter 4: Right to Council

Three days had passed since Shepard awoke in the hospital. The sun rose and set, and the visitors had come and gone. Shepard sat at the edge of his bed, staring out the window. A storm had swept in the night before, and he was happy to sit and stare at the raindrops. As he was looking out the window, Dr. Chakwas had entered the room behind him.

"Commander, may I speak with you for a moment?" she inquired.

"I don't think I'll be making a mad dash for the door, if that's what you're asking" Shepard jested.

"I just spoke with Councilor Irissa, and the Council has requested to see you. I tried to delay them, but they refused to wait any longer. They will be here in a matter of hours" she informed him.

"I'm not surprised Doctor, they have a habit of showing up just when you _don't_ want to talk to them. Just let me be the one to tell Liara, she's been a wreck about this" Shepard replied, "Did you happen to bring any _good_ news today?"

"As a matter of fact I did. The most recent round of tests shows an extraordinary regeneration rate of your skeletal and muscular systems. Since your implants have resumed normal function, your tissue repair has spiked. At this rate, it won't be long until you're back out running down rogue Spectres, or flying through uncharted relays to blow up Proto-Reapers" the doctor said.

"If I try to run off very far, I'm afraid I might find myself in a stasis bubble, doctor" he said with a chuckle. "But what do I have to do to get up and moving normally again?"

"Well, depending on the progress of your implants and how your body reacts to the stimulants I've started you on, you'll just have to wait until you have the strength, and just go. You won't be sprinting for a while but, theoretically, you could be walking any time now" Dr. Chakwas replied. Shepard looked down at his legs, trying to simply will them back to life. Although he could feel them, all he could do was wiggle his toes, and move his feet slightly.

While Shepard and Dr. Chakwas were talking, Garrus and Admiral Hackett had walked into the room. Seeing the doctor, Admiral Hackett asked, "May we have the room for a moment?"

"Of course Admiral, I've other patients to see as well. I will check back with you later, Commander" Dr. Chakwas said, excusing herself.

"What can I help you with Admiral?" Shepard asked.

"Commander, we know about your meeting with the Council. Since they're already on their way here, I'll cut right to the chase. There is a divide among the Krogan. While most are following Wrex's lead and remaining peaceful, his brother Wreav has other ambitions and is drawing huge numbers to his side." Admiral Hackett stated.

"That is bad news, but what does that have to do with my meeting with the Council?" Shepard asked, worried about what he would say.

Garrus interjected with noticeable skepticism "Shepard, Wreav seems to be focusing a lot on the Turians and Humans in his propaganda. Since Earth is still fragile, and there are still hordes of Krogan on a weakened Palaven, our governments want to unite, hoping to slow down, or even stop Wreav's campaign."

"The bottom line, Commander, is this. Alliance Command is still rebuilding, and we're hurting for leadership. A lot of good officers went down in the Reaper War, and we need to fill as many positions as we can with the highest quality personnel. We want you to have a meaningful role in future Alliance operations" the Admiral explained.

"I appreciate the offer, Admiral, but with all due respect I don't find sitting behind a desk to be very appealing. If I'm going to be in the fight, I want to be _in_ the fight" Shepard said bluntly. "Besides that, I'm still in this bed and I don't know how much help I could even be. I still don't understand what that has to do with the Council."

"I agree with you Commander, and I would never be foolish enough to ask you to take a position that binds you to a desk. I've spoken with interim leadership, and we want to put you back on the Normandy and give you command of a small fleet." Sighing, Admiral Hackett continued, "Shepard, you're good at what you do, and right now we need you to do it more than ever. When you destroyed the Reapers, you hit the reset button on the entire galaxy. Now we have a new threat stirring, and you can help stop it before it starts. While I don't have the authority to ask you to decline a commission from the Council, allow me just to say that there are a lot of people on Earth who would feel a whole lot better knowing that Commander Shepard is on watch."

"And apparently Palaven" Garrus said. "The Primarch asked me to convince you to take the Admiral's offer. He wants to form an alliance strictly between Turians and Humans, in hopes that we can stand up against a Krogan offensive or anything else that should happen to come up."

Shepard said, "I'm not sure about this, Admiral. Wouldn't a separate alliance drive a wedge between our two races, and the rest of the galaxy?"

"I've said my peace Commander, and the decision is ultimately yours as always. But I hope you take to heart what I've said, and really think about it before you make any kind of decisions. Humanity needs its hero. With that, I'll take my leave. I look forward to hearing what you decide. Good day gentleman" Admiral Hackett nodded to both of them and left.

"Want to know what I think Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"Sure Garrus impart some Turian wisdom on an old friend" Shepard replied.

"I personally don't like this; Admiral Hackett trying to end run around the Council, and the two governments willing to risk isolation from the other races? It just doesn't seem right. Almost makes me think the Admiral might be in a pretty desperate spot. Granted the Primarch is on board and the Council doesn't have a history of being very helpful, but acting against them doesn't usually turn out well. You can ask Saren about that" Garrus said.

"I already asked him about that, Garrus. It was weird being the answer to my own question" Shepard quipped.

Garrus continued "Huh, that is kind of strange, I never thought of it that way. But anyway, no matter what you decide, I'll be right there with you. Spectre business, Alliance Peace Missions, or building a swing set in the backyard, there is no Shepard without Vakarian. Now let's get you presentable before your party guests arrive" Garrus slung Shepard's arm over his shoulder, and helped him out into Liara's room.

Shepard sat on the bed while Garrus rummaged through some of the clothes that Liara had brought for when he woke up. He found a semi-formal duty uniform and handed it to Shepard, who took it and began to change. As he removed his shirt, Garrus noticed the scars all over Shepard's chest.

"Wow Shepard, you look like you're ready for a Krogan beauty pageant" he joked, "What happened up there, on the Citadel?" he asked.

Shepard tried his best to explain the events to his friend, "It was… it was unlike anything I've ever seen before, or would believe if somebody else told me about it. There was this child, more like a VI interface, but he claimed that he was the catalyst."

"But I thought the Citadel was the catalyst?" Garrus asked.

"I thought that too, and I still do, I think. Anyway, I was in a part of the Citadel that I had never seen before. I could see everything from up there: Earth, the fleets, and the Reapers. I watched countless ships being destroyed, and this child told me that I had reached a place where no organic being had ever stood, his home, and that he was controlling the Reapers" he continued to tell the story as Garrus sat listening, confused at what he was hearing. "After I questioned him, and tried to reason with him, he told me that the Crucible was nothing more than a giant power source that turned the Citadel into a weapon. He told me that how I used the weapon was my decision. I had to decide between destroying the Reapers, taking control of them, and turning everyone in the Galaxy into some 'organic-synthetic symbiont' which would somehow make the Reapers stop" Shepard was trying to piece everything back together.

Garrus responded, "So, considering I don't recall transforming, and you haven't been bragging about a pet Reaper, I'm going to guess that you chose to destroy them. But that doesn't explain what happened to you." He was trying to make sense of Shepard's words.

"I couldn't let them continue to exist, Garrus. As long as they were still out there, there would always be the threat of them attacking again, so I did what I had to do. I took my pistol, and found the nearest power conduit, and just started firing. When I did, it caused a massive explosion and a giant beam of energy shot straight up and out of the Citadel. Next thing I knew I was flying up through the air, and then I crashed into a walkway of some kind. I remember falling, it got so hot, I started to get dizzy, and then the next thing I know, all I can hear is silence. After that it was nothingness, until you found me." As he continued to explain, Shepard's words left Garrus unnerved. He had never heard anything like it, and wasn't sure he even fully believed it.

After Shepard finished getting changed, he and Garrus sat talking for a while, when Liara walked in carrying a tray of food for him.

"It is good to see you out of your room Shepard… are you hungry?" She asked, curious as to why Shepard was wearing his Alliance Uniform.

"Garrus, can I have a minute with Liara please?" Shepard asked. Garrus nodded in agreement then got up and left the room.

"Shepard, is everything alright?" Liara asked, setting the food down on a small table, and taking a seat on the bed next to him.

"Everything's fine Liara, but there is something that you won't want to hear" he took a deep breath as he explained, "the Councilors are coming today, they could be here any time."

"You are right, that is not what I wanted to hear" Liara replied, looking down. "However I do understand, and while I don't like the thought of you running off on another mission, I have faith in you. You defeated the Reapers, I am sure that you can handle a few stuffy politicians" Liara said as she lifted her head with a forced grin. Inside, she was terrified about what would happen, but she didn't want Shepard to worry about her.

"I'm glad you see it that way" he said, as he leaned in and the two began to kiss. They continued to kiss more and more intensely, when suddenly they heard Dr. Chakwas clearing her throat.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything" the doctor said "in your condition, I certainly wouldn't advise strenuous activities."

"Not at all Doctor" Liara said, as the two had stopped, and gave Dr. Chakwas their full attention "whatever gave you the impression we were doing anything strenuous?"

"You're starting to glow, dear" the doctor said with a chuckle, leaving Liara feeling slightly embarrassed. "Now, I just received word that the Councilors' shuttle has landed at Arcturus Memorial, and they are on their way up as we speak. Before they get here, I will advise you that you are far from being fully recovered. If possible, do not get too animated, as it may have an adverse effect on your rehabilitation. Your thoughts and actions will still have an impact on your facial scarring, at the very least. That being said, I will leave you be, and allow you to prepare"

The doctor walked out of the room, and Liara looked over to Shepard. He began to speak, but she put her finger over his lips to silence him. She touched her forehead to his, and closed her eyes. After a few moments she stood up, and walked towards the door.

"I am going to find a quiet place to get some work done" Liara said she walked out.

Shepard sat there, bracing himself for whatever the Councilors would have to say. He was leery about heading off on another mission, but he knew that if the galaxy needed him, he would have a hard time turning them down. Just as he began to play out the scenarios in his mind, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Shepard announced, dusting himself off and straightening his collar. The door opened, and a Volus waddled into the room.

"Greetings Commander" the words seemed strained, coming through the Volus' breather. "I am Din Korlack, Volus Ambassador, and chief assistant to the Citadel Council" he continued as he began to wave his Omni-tool around.

"I remember you Din, we met the first time I came to the Citadel. Is the Council here, or did they just send _you_ up to talk to me?" Shepard replied.

Taking another deep breath, the Volus continued, "The Council is right outside, Earth Clan. I am merely here to ensure that you are ready to speak with them. I will not be in the room during this meeting, my job is only to assist and ensure the security of this room, which I have now done. Good day Commander, the council will be with you shortly." Waving his Omni-tool one last time, Ambassador Korlack scurried out of the room.

Shepard was perturbed at dealing with the unfriendly Volus, but understood the need for security. A few seconds after he had left, the door opened again, and Councilors Valern and Irissa entered the room.

"It is good to see that you are awake, Commander Shepard. How are you feeling?" Councilor Irissa spoke first, as Valern stood next to her quietly.

"Forgive me for not standing Councilor, but I'm not in any pain at the moment, thank you for asking" Shepard replied.

"It is good to see that you're recovering, Shepard" Valern began "if we may proceed, there are some important matters to discuss" the Turian seemed aggravated.

"Of course, what can I do for you?" Shepard inquired, with a hint of sarcasm.

"To put it bluntly, there are several issues that have arisen around the galaxy since the end of the Reaper War. Many of the allied governments are growing restless, now that they are free to expand without the threat of the Reapers hanging over them. In particular there are two matters that we would like to discuss with you" Councilor Irissa explained. "First, what exactly happened, that resulted in the near total destruction of the Citadel?"

"I'll have a detailed report for you as soon as I can find a working extranet terminal. I was standing in a place I'd never been, and was left with a choice I would never ask anyone else to make. The Reapers had to be stopped, and I made the only call that made any sense, without the luxury of time to weigh the options thoroughly. For now, please, just accept that I wasn't left with any other choice" Shepard said, aggravated.

"I suppose that will suffice for now. The second issue we would like to discuss with you is the growing dissent in the galaxy. Over the past several weeks, a large number of Krogan have become agitated. We fear that they will splinter off from Urdnot Wrex, and may become hostile towards the Council Races. Also, there is a mad dash to several of the heavily damaged regions of the galaxy. Several pirate groups and mercenaries have been conquering colony worlds in the Traverse, and border Terminus worlds. We would like you to help us quell this activity, however the manner in which you do so, is entirely up to you. You are still in fact a Spectre, and are afforded everything that comes with that title. However, we feel that you may also be suited for an administrative role" Councilor Irissa explained.

"What do you mean, 'Administrative Role'?" Shepard asked.

"What we're trying to suggest, is that you replace Udina as Humanity's representative on the Council" Valern explained, "We believe that with a representative as renowned as yourself, people may think twice about invading Council Space."

"How would that even work? Don't I need to be elected, or appointed or something?" Shepard asked again, stunned at the suggestion.

"Given the circumstances, there isn't a soul in the galaxy who doesn't know who 'Commander Shepard' is. Your name alone is enough to give pause to most, and with your history serving Humanity and the Alliance, we do not believe it would be an unpopular appointment among humans or other friendly species" Irissa stated plainly.

"I'm not sure what to say. It would be an honor to represent Humanity on the Council, but this is a bit of a shock. After everything that's happened, I don't even know if I'd be the best qualified for this position. I'll need some time to think it over" Shepard said.

"Of course Commander, this is a very important decision, one that we would not expect you to make hastily. We will leave you to your recuperation in the meantime, and await your decision. Just know Commander, that no matter what your decision is, the Council will support it, and we look forward to your return to service" the Asari Councilor stated as the two exited the room, the Volus Ambassador quickly falling in line, and leading them out into the hall.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Shepard put his head in his hands and sighed. He searched around the room for an extranet terminal, or a stiff drink, but didn't see one of either. As he had given up his search, he heard a knock on the door and Garrus walked in.

"Well Shepard, did they name you Supreme Overlord, or can I still call you 'Commander'?" he asked with a chuckle.

"It's still just me, Garrus" Shepard replied with a smile "but while you're here, could you help me up?"

Garrus was puzzled at Shepard's request, but he reached his hand out anyway, and Shepard took it. He rocked back and propelled himself forward, pulling on Garrus' arm with both hands. He struggled for a moment, but steadied himself, and stood upright. His knees were a little wobbly, and he almost lost his balance. Shepard grasped out and caught himself on Garrus' shoulder.

"I'm alright" Shepard said. After struggling for a moment, he steadied himself. Then, without warning, he took his hand away from Garrus, so that he could stand on his own.

"Spirits" Garrus said "When did this happen?"

"While I was talking, rather listening, to the Council I guess. I felt a tingle in my legs while I was sitting there. All of a sudden, I could feel them, just like I used to. Honestly, I didn't know if this would work or not, but now that I'm here I'm glad that it did."

"Let me get the doctor" Garrus said, hurrying out of the room. A few minutes later he came back in, the doctor following close behind.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise. It would appear the treatment is working much faster than expected Shepard. Can you take a step towards me?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

Shepard's legs lurched forward, one after the other. His steps were labored and cumbersome, but he maintained his balance.

"My goodness, this truly is remarkable" the doctor said, activating her Omni-tool. After a few passes over Shepard, she typed a few keys and deactivated it.

"Well Doctor, what's the prognosis?" Garrus asked.

"It would appear that Shepard's nervous system is near fifty two percent of normal, while his musculoskeletal structure's rehabilitation appears to be nearing a staggering eighty eight percent" she replied, astounded.

"What does that mean doctor?" Shepard asked.

"To put it plainly Commander, you may be limping about for a bit. But, as of this moment, you are no longer bedridden" Dr. Chakwas said, double checking her Omni-tool "I'm astounded really, as of three days ago you couldn't get out of bed, now you're up, and shuffling about. This is truly miraculous, attributable to your implants no doubt."

After a few more scans, the doctor looked towards the door to the atrium. "Wait here Commander, I have something for you" she said as she darted out of the room, leaving Shepard and Garrus still amazed.

"I told you Shepard, asses to kick" the Turian said slyly. Just then, the doctor reemerged, carrying a pair of apparatuses resembling knee braces.

"Here Commander, try these on" Dr. Chakwas said, handing one to Shepard, and attaching the other to his leg. "How does that feel?"

"It feels fine Doctor, better actually" Shepard replied.

"Good, now let's try the other one" Dr. Chakwas said, as she attached the other device "Now, take another step towards me, and this time try to walk normally."

Shepard took a couple of steps, uneasy at first, but slowly catching a stride. He was indeed noticeably limping, but the doctor was right, he was walking around, and didn't feel like he was going to fall over.

"Garrus" Shepard said, looking over.

"Yes Commander?" Garrus replied.

"I feel like taking a walk" Shepard suggested, as he staggered towards the door.

"Just a moment Commander" Dr. Chakwas interrupted, her instincts telling her to stop him from going. After pondering for a moment she said, "Be careful, Shepard" she said, slightly uneasy.

Shepard put his hand on the doctor's shoulder, silently thanking her. Then Garrus walked out into the atrium, with Shepard right behind him. Ashley and James were sitting at a table, playing some kind of card game, not noticing the two had entered the room. Garrus cleared his throat, trying to get their attention.

"Just a minute Vakarian, I'm about to win" Vega said, not taking his eyes off the cards.

"In your dreams Vega, you haven't won all day" Ashley said determinedly.

"I don't know James, this is pretty important" Garrus said again, Shepard standing next to him, crossing his arms and a smirk on his face.

"What is it Garrus, are you…" James stopped mid-sentence, noticing Shepard standing next to the Turian. Standing up, James saluted, and calmly said "Officer on deck."

Hearing this, Ashley looked up, and upon seeing Shepard she shot up out of her chair and saluted, too. "It's good to see you up and about, Commander" she said.

"At ease Marines" Shepard said with a smile. The two walked over, and James reached out and shook Shepard's hand.

"Glad you're up, Loco. I was getting a little tired of babysitting you" James said sarcastically.

"Good to see you too, Vega" Shepard said as he shook his hand "We're going on an adventure, you in?"

"Hell yeah I'm in, where we going?" James asked.

"Just a walk, I hear London is beautiful this time of year" Shepard said in reply.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea, sir. What did the doctor say?" Ashley asked with a look of concern on her face.

"We're just going for a walk, Williams. But if you'd rather stay here and play solitaire, you have my permission" Shepard said with a smile.

The four headed out into the hallway. Shepard looked to his left, and noticed the room containing all of the vids and thank you messages that people had sent.

"What's in there?" he asked.

"We'll get to that later Shepard" Garrus said, as the four continued to the elevator. Garrus pushed the button for the ground floor. The elevator began to descend, Shepard in his usual place, closest to the door, the other three behind him, causing Garrus to chuckle.

"What is it Garrus?" Shepard asked.

"It's nothing really. Just found it a little amusing that after all we've been through, we find ourselves still riding around in elevators, having uncomfortable conversations" Garrus explained "it's also a little funny, because I always wondered what it would be like if we added an extra person in one of these things." Garrus' statement made Shepard and Ashley start to laugh.

"I don't get it" James said.

"I'll explain later, Vega" Ash said in reply, still chuckling a little.

As the four reached the ground floor, they stepped out of the elevator. Shepard looked around, surprised to see all of the refugees, shuffling about. Shaking his head in disbelief, he continued towards the front door. Putting his hand up towards the "open" switch, he took a deep breath, bracing himself for whatever might be on the other side.


	5. Earthly Deeds

Chapter 5: Earthly Deeds

Shepard pushed the button, and the door opened. Then, followed by his three escorts, he stepped out onto the street. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still grey from the storm. It felt good to Shepard just to breathe outside of the hospital again. He looked around and surveyed the damage. Most of the buildings were still burned, and scarred from small arms fire and energy weapons, but repairs were well underway. Most of the commerce hubs were up and running, and there were few buildings with visible structural damage. Around the streets, things appeared somewhat normal, with the exception of all the aliens walking around. The rubble had been cleared from the roadways, and the bodies had been cleared out. Even the enormous Reaper remains were gone.

There were occasional homeless walking about, but emergency shelters were everywhere. Along the sidewalks were network hubs, and autonomous generators guarded by marine platoons along with Geth engineers and their Quarian counterparts. The scene somewhat reminded Shepard of Omega.

"It still looks a little strange, eh Commander?" James asked.

"Just needs a new coat of paint" Shepard replied. The four walked down the street, passing by Alliance soldiers who saluted as they walked past.

"So what is there to see in this town?" Shepard asked, find the nearest functioning rapid transit station. The team boarded, and headed off.

The crew spent hours travelling around London, surveying all the repairs, and talking with members of several different races who had made temporary homes on Earth. Night had fallen, and Shepard looked over to James.

"So Vega, I'm sure I can trust that you've scouted out a good bar on this rock?" he asked.

With a chuckle, James replied "There is this one place, not sure if you'd like it though. It's not one of those high end bars you fancy types are used to."

"Sounds perfect" Shepard replied. The shuttle banked hard to the right, and jetted off towards the bar.

As it landed, the four stepped out, and Shepard was slightly taken back when he read the sign.

"Seriously Vega?" he asked "The Dizzy Elcor?"

"What? They've got cheap booze, and people don't bother you. Figured it's just the place to end the night" James replied.

"Alright, but you're buying the first round" Shepard said, slapping James on the shoulder as he walked in through the front door. The crew filed in behind him, brushing past several Turians, Asari, and a couple Alliance Marines. It was a darkly lit bar, the walls slightly dusty with a smoky haze wafting around. The four got a table, and they ordered a round.

When the drinks came, Vega stood up and raised his glass "To the end of the Reapers, and to the one who sent them back to whatever hell they came from" he toasted.

As they touched their glasses together, Shepard spoke up "And to the friends we've lost along the way." The four took their shots and slammed their glasses down on the table.

The night went on, and the drinks went down. Shepard and Garrus found themselves sitting alone at the table.

"So Shepard, we've made our way back to a crummy bar on Earth. But what happens next?" Garrus asked, taking a drink of his Turian liquor.

"I wish I could tell you Garrus" Shepard replied "I know there are still enemies to fight, but I'm not sure I'm the one to fight them."

"Shepard, if there is anyone in this galaxy who needs to be out there, kicking people's asses it's you. I've known you for a long time, and I can't imagine you doing anything else" Garrus replied, his words slightly slurred.

"I think the one thing that kept me pushing through that fight, was the thought of what we… what I was going to do afterwards. But to be honest with you, I never really pictured what it was that I wanted to do" Shepard explained, not quite as tipsy as his friend.

"So let's say you give this all up, the guns, the travel, the fighting. You settle down with your Asari bondmate and have a litter of kids. Are you trying to tell me that you wouldn't have a locker full of weapons ready to go?" Shepard shook his head as Garrus continued "See, I know you Shepard, and I know that you won't be happy unless you've got your finger on a trigger, and an enemy in your scope. We're warriors Shepard, that's what we do" Garrus said pointedly.

"Maybe you're right, Garrus. Maybe I am just being foolish, thinking that I could just hang up my armor, and build swing sets in the backyard" Shepard conceded as he downed another shot.

After a few more hours, and several more rounds, the two decided to call it a night. Looking around for their companions, they stood up and walked towards the bar. Shepard paid the tab, then turned around and looked towards the pool tables. He saw Ashley and James, kissing heavily, Ashley sitting on the pool table. Shepard walked over and clinked a couple of the billiard balls together. After a second or two, Williams jumped up off the table and stood next to James, straightening herself up.

"We're heading back to the hospital, you two coming with?" Shepard asked.

"I think we're good Commander" Ashley said with a wide grin.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, bring the others with you" Shepard instructed as he turned towards the door.

"Aye aye commander" James replied.

"Carry on you two" Shepard said with a smile, as he and Garrus walked back out the door to the street. They called for a shuttle, and waited.

"Well, how do you like that?" Garrus said "I guess there's someone for everyone."

When the shuttle arrived, the two boarded, and headed back to the hospital, leaving Ashley and James behind. When they got there, Shepard had to help Garrus out of his seat.

"I'm getting too old to be dragging your ass around Vakarian" Shepard said jokingly as he started to feel the effects of a night of drinking.

"I figure this about makes us almost even" Garrus said with a drunken laugh, stumbling along through the entrance and to the elevator.

When they got to the top floor, the two emerged from the elevator, and stumbled down the hallway to the atrium outside of Shepard and Liara's room. Shepard set Garrus down on a mattress that had been set up, and tossed him a blanket.

"You gonna be alright out here Garrus?" he asked.

"I'll be fine Shepard. I doubt anyone is going to mess with a drunk Turian in a hospital, who just happens to be carrying a firearm" Garrus laughed as he patted the Predator pistol he had strapped to his waist.

Shepard laughed slightly as he walked through the door into the room. It was dark, except for a small desk lamp on the night table. As he walked across the floor he noticed something sitting on the bed. It was a crate, and on the top it read: "Commander Shepard: Spectre, Arcturus Memorial Hospital" and it had the Turian Hierarchy emblem emblazoned on the side. As he looked down at the crate, he heard Liara's voice come from the darkness.

"I am not even sure where to begin, Shepard" she said "I came back here to check on you, and you were gone. There was nobody outside, and I was worried. Then I came in here looking for you, and instead I found this crate sitting here. Now you come back at three in the morning, reeking of alcohol, and still wearing your military uniform. Not to mention the fact that we now have a heavily intoxicated Turian sleeping in the atrium"

"I'm fine Liara, you shouldn't have worried. You could have gotten ahold of me on my Omni-tool" Shepard tried to defend himself.

"I did call your Omni-tool Travis Shepard, but _you_ never answered me" she said, growing angrier.

Shepard looked down at his Omni-tool, and saw that he had seven missed messages.

Knowing that he couldn't win this argument, he said "I'm sorry Liara. I was excited about my legs, and I just wanted to go for a walk. Before I knew it I was sitting at a bar with James, Garrus and Ashley."

She could tell that he felt bad about leaving her worried. And since he was unharmed, she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She sat down on the bed next to the crate, and placed her hand on it.

"But how do you explain this, Shepard?" she asked.

"Liara, I don't know anything about this. Someone must have delivered it after I left. I don't even know what's in it" he replied.

"Well then, let us open it and find out" Liara stated, tapping on the top of the crate.

Shepard reached down, and tapped the keys on the crate. It opened up, and there was datapad with a note on the top. "Commander, For when you make your decision, accept these as a token of our gratitude, and a symbol of our continued alliance. Regards, Primarch Victus"

Underneath the datapad was nothing other than a set of combat armor. Shiny and new, it looked exactly like the armor that Shepard was wearing on the night he stormed the Citadel. Shepard pulled out the pieces, one by one and marveled over them. It was exactly the same, right down to the red and white "N7" Stripe down the right arm, they had even managed to recover his old helmet, and repaired it to nearly new. As he was looking over the gift, he glanced over to Liara, who was clearly worried.

He walked around the bed and sat down next to her. Taking her hand in his, he tried his best to reassure her.

"I haven't decided on anything Liara. I haven't even had time to think about it" he said.

"I trust you Shepard. We will discuss everything tomorrow, and after that, no matter what you decide, I will be right there with you, every step of the way" Liara said calmly "now please, you need a shower, you smell awful" she said as she covered her nose.

Shepard grinned mischievously as he rolled over on top of her. She giggled and gently slapped his chest.

"Shepard I mean it. I am not sure where you went tonight, but I think I may be getting lightheaded just from smelling you" she said, still giggling.

"Come on Liara, you don't hate my smell THAT bad, do you?" he said, still smiling. As he leaned down to kiss her, she put her hand over his mouth.

"Shepard, if you try to put your mouth anywhere near me smelling like that, I will trap you in a singularity field until morning. Now please, the shower" Liara said, MOSTLY kidding, as she pointed across the room.

Shepard sighed, and dropped his head. He brushed his hand across her cheek and then got up and limped into the tiny bathroom.

As she heard the water turn on, Liara looked over to the crate containing the Primarch's gift. She sat up next to it, then pulled out the helmet and held it in her hands in front of her, looking down at it. She stared into the visor, wondering about all the things Shepard had seen through the thin piece of glass. She put her hand over the front of it as she remembered the night that the team charged the Reaper beam to the Citadel.

She placed the helmet down next to her, and reached back into the crate. She pulled out the brand new chest plate. She shuddered as she recalled how badly charred the original one was. As she held it in her lap, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and a kiss on her cheek. She looked back to see Shepard, wearing a pair of shorts and the stabilizers on his legs.

"That armor probably saved my life you know" Shepard said calmly as he sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I know Shepard, and I will be eternally thankful for that. And I am sure that this set will serve you well, should you choose to use it. Although, I also remember watching as a team of medics cut through the old one with a plasma torch and peeled it back from your chest" Liara replied with a somber tone. She stared at the armor in her hands a few seconds longer, before she put it back in the crate. Shepard stood up and grabbed the container, and placed it on the ground next to the bed. He sat back down next to Liara and the two stared out the window together.

"The stars look beautiful tonight" Liara said.

"That they do Liara. They look almost as beautiful as you" he said with a smile.

She looked over at him with a grin and replied, "You are still a flatterer, Travis Shepard" as she leaned in to kiss him, her lips just a few inches away from his.

"And I still try" Shepard said with a smile as the two embraced.

After kissing for several minutes, Liara laid her head on Shepard's shoulder. He took her hand as he rested his head on hers.

"You know, we may still be able to take a ship to that distant uncharted system" Liara said softly. Shepard kissed the top of her head as he pondered the idea. The two sat together for over an hour, just staring at the stars out the window.

The next morning, Shepard awoke to find Liara sleeping on his chest. He looked out the window to see that it had started raining again. He gently slid his arm out from under her and sat on the edge of the bed. He rubbed his eyes with both hands; his head was hurting from the night before. Getting up, he grabbed a pitcher of water and poured himself a drink.

Shepard walked out into the atrium, and took a sip from the glass. Garrus was still passed out, and Grunt was sitting by a table, cleaning his pistol.

"I don't know what you did to the Turian, Shepard, but next time count me in" Grunt said with a laugh.

"You got it Grunt. Have you heard from the others?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah, your other two humans are down in front of the hospital, not looking much better than Vakarian over there. The rest are on their way. What's this about, Shepard?" Grunt asked.

"You'll see, Grunt. Let me know when the others get here" Shepard said, taking another sip from his glass.

He walked back in to the room where Liara slept, and began to search for one of his uniforms. He rifled through one of the bags that Liara had brought, and found his Alliance gear. He laid it out on the bed and began to get undressed.

"You know, it may be because of the Krogan on my father's side, but I find your scars to be very…. compelling" Liara said, still resting on the bed.

"I'm not sure Doctor, I think you may just have a thing for mysterious humans with dark pasts" Shepard said smiling as he leaned over and gave her a kiss.

Shepard pulled on his pants, and sat down on the bed to lace up his boots. Liara crawled up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Is there something happening today?" She asked him, slightly concerned.

"I'm just meeting with the crew, about everything that's happened. If you're up to it, I'd like you to be there too" he said, as he finished tying his boots.

Shepard got up, and put on the rest of his uniform. He picked up a datapad and typed in a few things, before tossing it on a nearby table. There was a knock on the door, and he walked over and opened it.

"The team is here Shepard, what do you want me to tell them?" Grunt asked through the doorway.

"There's a conference room just down the hall, clear it out, and have everyone meet in there, I'll be down in a minute. And Grunt, take this crate with you, but nobody opens it, understood?" Shepard asked, picking the crate of armor up, and handing it to Grunt.

"Got it, Shepard" Grunt said, taking the crate. "Alright you pyjaks, Shepard says to wait in the conference room down the hall, let's go!"

Shepard closed the door, and turned to Liara, who had just started changing in the bathroom. He walked over, and leaned against the door frame.

"Should I get used to waiting for you to finish getting ready, Dr. T'Soni?" Shepard asked with a smile as he looked at Liara who was only partially dressed.

"Only if you are lucky" she said with a playful grin. He walked in and leaned against the counter next to Liara, and pulled her over in front of him. He put his hands on her butt and pulled her in close to him, and kissed her.

"Now what on earth are you doing?" Liara asked.

"Do you think the crew can wait for fifteen minutes?" Shepard asked with a sly grin.

Chuckling, Liara said "Save that kind of thinking for after we get you out of this hospital, Shepard."

She pushed away from him, and finished getting dressed in her usual white uniform. The two walked out into the hall, and over to the doorway outside of the conference room where the team had gathered. They paused, and looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment, and then walked into the room.

"Alright everyone, take a seat" Shepard instructed as he walked to the front of the room. There were several chairs organized into a large circle, and everyone in the room took one. Shepard walked over and shut the door. "Glyph is the room secure?" he asked as the drone appeared.

"Yes Commander. All outgoing signals from this room are being blocked, there are no functioning recording devices in proximity and the walls are sound proof, however, I will continue to monitor until this meeting has concluded" Glyph said as it blinked several times.

Nodding, Shepard turned and walked to the middle of the circle of chairs.

"Alright everyone, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you all here. Vega, lose the shades please" Shepard instructed as James reached up and took off his sunglasses to reveal prominent dark circles under his eyes. "Late night Lieutenant?" he asked.

"I'm all here Commander" James said as he hooked the sunglasses to his collar. Many members of Shepard's team were in the room: Garrus, Tali, James, Ashley, Grunt, Liara, Wrex, and Dr. Chakwas were all present.

"Alright everyone, let's get down to business. First off, whatever is said in this room stays in this room, agreed?" Shepard instructed as the crew nodded in approval. "Now, this has been an interesting week, and with it, I have a few decisions I have to make. I've gotten a few offers, and today, I want to hear what everyone thinks" Shepard continued as the crew sat silently in anticipation.

Wrex spoke up "Shepard, I'm sure you already know about Wreav and his idiotic campaign against the Turians, but I can handle him. Whatever you decide, I want you to know that."

Nodding to Wrex, Shepard continued "Of all the decisions I've made, this one ranks among the most difficult. I've got a few options on the table, but I want to get your opinions before I decide. You all know what's happened, and a few of you have been here since the beginning. I want to know what you think."

Tali spoke up first, "Well, I'm not sure what all the options are, Shepard, but I think that you have earned some time off. Uniting the galaxy, and near singlehandedly defeating its greatest threat in one swoop. Heck, you even got back our home-world, which I think merits a little bit of shore leave."

Hearing that, Wrex said "Shepard, as long as I've known you, we've been beating impossible odds with guns in our hands. To my people, you will always be remembered as a legend, and a hero, but on Tuchanka, a hero doesn't stop fighting just because he's accomplished something great. As long as there are people out there who would destroy what we have, what _you've _built, then you need to be willing to put them down to protect it. And I know you Shepard, you're not one to sit behind a desk and fight wars with a pen."

"Exactly, for once I agree with Wrex" Garrus chimed in. Others in the room visibly wanted to disagree with the Krogan, but they couldn't. Even Liara just sat in silence, listening to what the others had to say.

"Um, Shepard?" Grunt asked.

"What is it Grunt?" Shepard replied.

"I might be the only one who's curious but, what's in the box?" Grunt questioned, gesturing towards the crate in the middle of the room.

Shepard walked over, and tapped the keys on the crate. As it popped open, everyone in the room leaned forward to get a better view. He pulled the armor out, greaves first, then the shoulder guards, the arm protection, then the chest plate, and lastly the helmet, placing it on top of the pile.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ashley asked "But I saw that armor, all chewed up. How is it here?"

"It's not the original, only the helmet was salvageable" Shepard replied "the rest was too badly damaged, and they replaced it with exact replicas. It was a gift from somebody I did a favor for once" he said as he looked over to Garrus, who was shaking his head and smiling, seeming to know who the sender was. Shepard continued "I've spent a lot of time in that armor, its predecessor anyway, and right now I have to decide whether or not I want to keep doing so."

The crew stayed in the room for a couple hours, debating and discussing, but in the end the opinions came out evenly split. Shepard thanked everyone, and dismissed the crew, leaving only himself, Liara, Garrus, and Dr. Chakwas in the room.

"Well, that didn't really accomplish anything. Sorry Shepard" Garrus said.

"No Garrus, it helped me look at things a little differently, which is exactly what I wanted" Shepard replied "I'm going to go take a walk, and try and sort all this out" he said. He shook Garrus' hand, and kissed Liara on the cheek as he and Dr. Chakwas walked off down the hallway, leaving Liara and Garrus alone outside the conference room.

"So, the Primarch is trying to bribe him with armor now? I guess even a Reaper invasion won't change politics" Garrus said, slightly exasperated "You were being awful quiet in there Liara, I didn't expect that."

"Shepard already knows what I think, as does the rest of the crew. I do not feel that repeating it makes it any more meaningful" Liara explained.

Just then, Grunt walked over to the two and said, "I don't know about you, but I haven't eaten all day. Me and Wrex are gonna go track down some food, you in?"

After thinking about it for a moment, Liara and Garrus agreed, and followed Grunt down to the main floor where Tali and Wrex were waiting. The shuffled out the front door and off to into the streets of London.

Meanwhile, Shepard and the doctor had returned to the atrium outside his room and found a seat next to a table.

"Well doctor, I didn't get your professional opinion. Am I cleared for duty?" Shepard asked.

"Actually Commander, not quite" Dr. Chakwas began, showing Shepard his medical chart "Your healing has seemed to plateau, although I wouldn't guess it would stay that way for long. Take it easy for a week, and if you keep your drinking and carrying Turians to a minimum, your legs should fully heal very quickly. I'm going to slightly boost your dosage of neural stimulants to try and jump-start the healing again" she explained.

"Thank you doctor, I'll take that into consideration" Shepard replied with a chuckle as the two stood up, and shook hands. Dr. Chakwas disappeared back out into the hallway as Shepard went back into his room.

He stared out the window for a brief moment, and then turned his attention to a datapad. He scrolled through the information, which was mostly damage reports and supply requisitions.

"Glyph, find me any information pertaining to Captain Hannah Shepard, focusing on most recent" Shepard requested.

"Last known post of Captain Hannah Shepard: Commanding Officer, SSV Orizaba. Kilimanjaro Class Dreadnought, Earth Systems Alliance Fifth Fleet" Glyph replied.

"What's the status of the Orizaba?" Shepard asked.

"The SSV Orizaba was destroyed during the assault on Earth, Commander. Twelve listed survivors: Three deck hands, Two Maintenance Personnel, One Shuttle Pilot, One Requisitions Officer, Two Quartermasters, One Security Officer, and Two Engineers. Would you like me to continue?" Glyph replied.

"No, thank you Glyph, that will be all" Shepard replied with a sigh.

Glyph disappeared, as Shepard turned and set down the datapad he had been working on. He sat in silence for a few minutes, and then poured himself a drink of water. After taking a few sips, Shepard heard a faint rumble from off in the distance. Wondering what it was, he walked to the window and searched around the skyline. At first he didn't see anything, until suddenly a plume of smoke appeared from behind one of the buildings. Suddenly Shepard's Omni-tool started to beep and flash. He activated it, and Wrex's figure appeared over his arm.

"Shepard!" Wrex yelled.

"What is it Wrex? What's happening?" Shepard replied.

"Shepard we're under attack. We were just about to eat when stuff started blowing up all around. The Quarian is hurt and…" another explosion caused the ground to shake.

"Wrex! Where are you?!" Shepard demanded.

"We're at some café place about three blocks north of the hospital. Bring reinforcements Shepard, we're outnumbered!" Wrex instructed.

"Help is on the way Wrex, where are the others?" Shepard demanded.

"Liara…..by the….Need…Garrus…Shepard….Krogan…" Wrex's image was flickering in and out, as the transmission ended.

"Wrex!" Shepard shouted as two more explosions rocked the streets "Just hold on."

Notes: Hey everyone, thanks again for reading and following along. I hope you're enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing the story. If you have any requests or tips, feel free to leave me a review, I always appreciate it!


	6. Unforeseen Consequences

Chapter 6: Unforeseen Consequences

Shepard hurried out of the room, knocking Dr. Chakwas (who had returned to bring Shepard a dose of stims) to the ground as he blew through the door. He stopped and reached his hand out to her, and helped her to her feet as he turned back and continued towards the conference room.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, Commander?" Dr. Chakwas asked, following quickly behind him.

"We're under attack, doctor. Wrex just contacted me on my Omni-tool. He, Liara, Garrus, Grunt and Tali are taking fire at a café. Alert hospital security of the attack, and I need your two best Marines to go with me" Shepard said as they entered the room where his armor was still sitting.

"Commander, in your condition….." Dr. Chakwas began as she typed in the warning to hospital security on her Omni-tool.

"I'm going, Karin" Shepard said as he pulled on the greaves and hooked up his chest plate "now I need you to point me towards the armory."

"The armory is in the basement, I'll notify the guards to let you in. Be careful commander" she replied morosely.

Shepard thanked the doctor as he finished putting on his armor and headed towards the door. As he walked, the emergency sirens came on overhead and security guards flooded the halls of the floors below. Climbing in the elevator, Shepard jammed the button for the ground floor. He paced back and forth, cursing that it wasn't going fast enough. As he reached the bottom, the doors opened and he walked out to find two marines stationed near the reception area and signaled to them.

"You two, on me" Shepard ordered as the two Alliance soldiers ran over and got in line behind him, "sync up comms."

The three rushed down to the basement towards the armory. At the bottom of the stairs there was a long corridor leading to a large armored hatch. Two security officers guarded the door.

"I'm Commander Shepard, open this door" he instructed as the two officers stepped out of the way and put their keys in and popped the hatch. Shepard and his two man crew walked into the armory and started grabbing up whatever arms they could carry. Shepard found an M-77 Paladin, an M-97 Viper and an M-9 Tempest, along with a few sticky grenades, while the two Marines gathered up some Medi-gel and thermal clips. When they were finished, they headed back up the stairs and out onto the street.

Shepard was still walking with a bit of a limp, but it didn't slow him down much. "We're heading up the road, gentlemen. Enemy is unknown, but seemingly well-armed. I'll take point while you two cover my flank" he ordered as two more explosions rang out in the distance.

Ground traffic was stopped; most vehicles were abandoned after hearing the explosions. Alliance Marines were rushing to formations behind them as the crew moved towards the fight. The two marines split off, each taking one side of the street, while Shepard went right up the middle with his sniper rifle drawn. As they progressed down the road, closer to the café, they could hear small arms fire nearby. Shepard ordered the men to hold their position while he engaged his tactical cloak and proceeded up the road. He came to a large tanker, and climbed on top of its trailer. He went prone and surveyed the area.

"I've got a platoon at ten o'clock, thirty strong. It looks like they're setting up encampments on either side of the river, two blocks ahead. Lots of light armor, they're cordoning off the surrounding blocks with heavily armed shock troops, and…. Atlases?" Shepard reported to the other two "move up to my position, and stay low."

The two Marines made their way up behind the tanker and surveyed the buildings around them, weaving between cars and watching for snipers.

"We've got no path straight ahead; they're setting up heavy armaments by the bridges. Our only chance is to go through that alley, but it's tight quarters" Shepard said, gesturing towards a small street to their right.

"Who is it sir? Who's attacking?" one of the marines asked.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Shepard replied "it looks like Cerberus, with a whole lot of Krogan."

The two marines were stunned, but he snapped them back to reality "if this is Cerberus, keep your eyes open for Phantoms and Nemeses. They're sneaky, and deadly, and we're in a kill zone…." Shepard stopped as his Omni-tool started to go off again.

"Shepard, are you there?" Garrus' voice came through, but with no visual.

"Garrus, it's me, I'm about two blocks away from the café. Where are you?" Shepard asked.

"We're pinned down in a small department store three blocks east of the café. We tried to double back up the river, but we were cut-off" Garrus explained.

"What's your situation? How many of you are there?" Shepard asked again, hoping his friends were all alive.

"I'm alright, a few scratches but I'm still fighting. Liara is here too, no worse for wear. She's been helping with her biotics, but she's getting tired Shepard. Wrex is fine, took a shot in the leg protecting a couple of civilians. And I think Grunt is just happy to kill some people. Tali…" Garrus stopped mid-sentence.

"What is it Garrus?" Shepard asked, a little impatient.

"Tali is hurt pretty bad. The first explosion sent some shrapnel through her suit. She's exposed and fighting an infection. We don't have much time Shepard, is the Alliance on its way?" Garrus asked.

"It looks like the Alliance is bogged down at the perimeter, myself and a couple marines are your rescue party" Shepard continued as he signaled the two marines to start walking east towards the alley way.

"I guess we can knock one off of how many you owe me. Hurry Shepard, I don't know how much longer we can hold them off." Garrus said as the call ended.

Shepard's team moved towards the alleyway. He switched his rifle for the heavy pistol and moved ahead as the two followed behind him. It was no more than fifteen feet across between two tall buildings, dumpsters and other debris lying on either side. As they approached the end, a team of Cerberus troops walked across their path. Shepard signaled his men to take cover, as he engaged his cloak and knelt behind a garbage can. He watched as they continued marching, counting off how many men there were in the squad. "Seventeen" he thought to himself, as one of the troopers looked down the alleyway and stopped.

"Why are you out of line?" One of the trailing Centurions called out.

"I thought I saw something" the trooper said as he took a few steps down the alley, gun drawn.

Shepard pointed his pistol at the trooper, and moved his finger to the trigger.

"I don't see anything, get moving!" the Centurion shouted again as the trooper fell back into formation.

Shepard moved up to the end of the alleyway, and peeked around the corners, to see if the coast was clear. He uncloaked and signaled to his team to move up. They followed the path behind the Cerberus team, which led up a small side street, past several tall apartment buildings that were badly damaged. Transport shuttles and network hubs were scattered along the street. They kept a block of distance behind the Cerberus squad, moving from cover to cover so as not to be seen. Shepard's legs were starting to hurt, but still, he barely noticed.

As they moved up the road, they came to the café where Liara and the others had been when the attack started. There was a large hole in the front, presumably from an incendiary explosive. The building was still smoldering and several bodies lay scattered in front of the café. "We have to get there in time" Shepard thought to himself. With no signs of life inside, the small squad kept moving towards the department store.

After they had gone three blocks, Shepard signaled his team to hold. There was a large open intersection, lined with small buildings. The team they were following had met up with a larger force of Cerberus and Krogan, who were setting up barricades. Gunfire and explosions were ringing out not far in the distance.

"We can't move across this, it's too exposed. We'll be mowed down if we try" Shepard said to his team. He pulled up his Omni-tool and tried to raise Garrus on it, "Garrus, come in, it's Shepard" he said, hoping for a response.

After a few moments of nothing but static, Garrus said "I'm here Shepard, what's your position?"

Shepard breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then he explained "We've just come up to a large intersection. The area is too hot; we won't be able to make it across. I can't see the store."

"I see you Shepard. Look straight across, and three buildings to your left. It's a green building; it says "Parnoch's" on the front of it. We're on the second floor, but be careful, I saw sniper teams moving in not long ago" Garrus replied.

Shepard found the building, and pulled up his Viper. He couldn't see Garrus, but there were a handful of Krogan gathering outside, along with several Cerberus troops. Just past the store was another small street, and beyond that was the river.

"Alright men, we don't have much time. We've got five people in that building over there, two Krogan, a Turian, an Asari, and a badly wounded Quarian. As soon as we get inside, get ready with the Medi-gel and anti-biotics. Check for any other survivors. On my lead, stay low, and stay fast" Shepard gave the order as he set out along the front of the building they were next to, away from the barricade.

The squad moved until they were directly across the street from the store. The Krogan/Cerberus infiltration team was on the street between them and the store. After stopping for a moment, they moved again towards the river. As they reached the end of the line of buildings Shepard peeked around the corner, and when the coast was clear he and his team moved around, out of sight of the Krogan and Cerberus.

"Alright, I'll go across first and cover you. Wait for my signal, and when you start running, do not stop until you're past me, understood?" Shepard asked.

"Yes sir!" the two marines replied.

Shepard engaged his cloak again and darted across the street, to corner cover along the side of Parnoch's. He drew his Tempest and signaled the men to move across. As soon as they were to the middle of the road, Shepard threw a sticky grenade right into the middle of the enemy squad.

"What the hell?!" shouted one of the Krogan as the grenade went off, killing a few of the troopers and knocking back most of the others.

Shepard began firing his tempest as the marines ran past him, killing two of the Krogan. There were three remaining now, along with a handful of Cerberus troops. Shepard turned to the two marines as enemy fire came crashing into the side of the building.

"You! Get inside and tend to the wounded! You stay with me, let's put these bastards down!" Shepard shouted as the first marine turned and kicked in a side door and disappeared into the building.

Shepard tossed another grenade around the corner as he and the other marine took cover behind an empty shuttle and opened fire on the remaining enemy force. Seeing that one of the Krogan's barriers was down, he pulled out his Paladin and fired three rounds right into its helmet, cracking it nearly in half. The Krogan fell to a knee as the Alliance marine poured bullets into him. The first of the remaining enemy Krogan fell over, dead.

Two more remained, along with four troopers and a Centurion. Shepard pulled his Tempest back out and fired the full clip right into one of the advancing Krogan, knocking down his shields. As they flickered out he used incinerate, and destroyed what little was left of its armor and sent the Krogan to the ground. Shepard pulled up his sniper rifle, and picked off two of the Cerberus troops who had no cover to run to.

"Keep that Krogan occupied!" Shepard shouted at the marine, who opened fire on the last remaining Krogan.

He sabotaged the weapons of the remaining two Cerberus troops, and then waited for a moment. After he cooled down, he engaged his cloak again, and slipped behind the Krogan. Shepard pulled out his Paladin and put down the last two Cerberus agents. Then turned and drew his Omni-blade, and drove it right into the side of the Krogan.

As the giant Krogan dropped to its knees, Shepard looked down and aimed his pistol right between its eyes.

"Who are you working for?!" Shepard demanded.

With a defiant laugh, the Krogan replied "You cannot stop Wreav, and our new Krogan horde! You are weak, and we are powerful! You and all the other species will suffer for the centuries of agony under the Genophage!" As the last word rolled out of his mouth, the Krogan coughed several times, until his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.

Shepard shook his head, not wanting to believe that Wrex's brother was responsible for all of this. Without warning, the Centurion emerged from behind cover.

"You'll pay for this!" the Centurion shouted as he charged towards Shepard.

Suddenly, there were several gunshots, and the Centurion dropped to his knees, and fell over on the ground. Shepard looked up to see Wrex, standing in the window. He had his Carnifex drawn and an unhappy look on his face.

Shepard ran back to the corner and caught up with the other marine, and the two ran inside the building, barricading the door behind them. They cleared the first floor, and ran up the stairs. Bursting through the door, Shepard looked around.

"Liara!" he called out.

"I am here Shepard" Liara replied as she ran over and leapt into his arms. Shepard held her tight, relieved that she was ok.

"Glad you finally made it, Shepard" Grunt said with a little snark.

"Where's Tali?" the Commander asked.

"I'm over here Shepard" Tali responded weakly. He walked over and found her lying on the floor. He knelt down next to the injured Quarian. There was a visible suit breach on her left side, although it had been crudely patched up.

"How bad is it?" Shepard asked.

"I applied the Medi-gel and antibiotics. She seems to be stable, but I doubt she'll stay that way for long unless we can get her to a hospital" replied the marine who had been tending to her.

"We'll get you out of here, Tali. Don't worry" Commander Shepard said, trying to comfort her.

"I know you will Shepard. You always seem to show up at just the right time to save me" Tali replied before coughing a few times. Her breathing was slightly labored.

Shepard stood up and turned to Garrus "how many people do we have in here?" he asked.

"Nine" Garrus replied "It would be eight, but we found this little Salarian slithering around" he said as he pointed to the corner by the door.

There was a younger looking Salarian sitting in the corner and Shepard walked over to him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Elorn Parnoch. My dad owns this store" the Salarian replied. His skin was a bluish green with a single white stripe down the middle of his forehead.

"Your dad?" Shepard asked.

"Well, my adopted dad. He was on business on Ilium when he found me. It's a long story, but in short, my dad is a human, the finest I've ever met. He was downstairs when the attack started. Dad told me to hide up here, in the storage. Then he tried to fight them off. The Krogan just pulled him out into the street and killed him in cold blood. I watched him die, right through this window" he continued, visibly shaken.

"I'm sorry. But right now we need to get you and everyone else out of here, can you walk?" Shepard asked.

The Salarian nodded and rose to his feet. He was full grown, but noticeably younger than most Salarians that Shepard had met, around ten years old, he guessed.

"What's the plan, Commander?" Garrus asked.

"We're in a tough spot. Nine is too big to move undetected. Add to that we have wounded and a kid with us, we're asking for trouble" Shepard said as he pulled up his Omni-tool.

"This is Commander Shepard, does anybody copy?" he asked, trying to reach Alliance Command.

There was no response.

"Cerberus is blocking communications" Liara said.

"Damn it! Does this place have roof access?" Shepard asked of the Salarian.

"Yes, there's a ladder over here" Elorn replied, leading Shepard to the roof hatch.

"Alright Garrus, come with me." Shepard instructed as he climbed the ladder, with the Turian close behind.

As they reached the top, Shepard forced the hatch open and looked around. There were a couple antennas, but nothing else. The two crawled over to the edge and surveyed the area.

"It looks like we're blocked off to the west and south and nothing but the river to the north" Shepard said, looking up the river, and towards the barricades. "We could try following this road east, but that's taking us away from the hospital."

He scanned around again, and saw a large, slightly damaged troop transport a couple blocks away. It appeared to be abandoned. He said "let's get back inside, I have a plan."

As they descended back into the store, everyone gathered around them.

"So, what's the plan, Shepard?" Grunt asked.

"There's a vehicle, not far away. I'll take one of the marines and Grunt, and secure it. We'll bring it back up to the side of the store, you just be ready to load in when we get here. Garrus, you cover me from the roof until we get in the truck, then haul ass back down and be ready for pick-up" Shepard instructed.

"Shepard, that sounds risky. You are still not healed, what if something goes wrong?" Liara asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine, Liara. I've got an Archangel watching over me" Shepard said with a smile as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh har har, Shepard. Just for that one I may be a little…. slow with the trigger" Garrus said.

"You'd better not, you Bosh'tet" Tali said from the floor, causing the rest of the crew to snicker.

"Alright, let's move out" Shepard said as he and his team went back down the stairs and Garrus climbed onto the roof.

"_Do you read me Shepard?_" Garrus asked over the radio.

"Loud and clear, we're moving out now" Shepard replied as he opened the door slowly.

Shepard walked out first, and made sure the coast was clear. Grunt and the marine followed as they ran down the street. They came to a crossroads and held up at the corner.

"_I see you Shepard, you're all clear. The truck is two blocks straight ahead_" Garrus said.

The team crossed the road, led by Shepard, and continued along the buildings.

"_I've got some movement. Looks like a couple of Krogan, no Cerberus though. I'll take the one on the left, you get the one on the right_" he instructed.

There was a gunshot, and one of the Krogan fell to the ground. The other looked around panicked as Shepard and his team opened fire.

"_That takes care of that_" Garrus said "_now keep moving up the street and turn right at the next corner. My view is blocked by a building, so be careful_."

The team moved up to the corner and Shepard looked down the road. There were no people, except the two bodies of Cerberus troops lying next to the truck. A couple of the buildings were scarred from small arms fire and several small fires were on either side of the road.

"Alright everyone, it looks clear. Stay sharp, and watch the windows" Shepard ordered as the squad moved towards the truck.

"_Alright, I see you again Shepard. No movement, you should be all clear_" Garrus told him.

As they approached the truck they stopped by one of the bodies and found the visor was cracked open. Shepard looked inside, and was surprised to find that this trooper didn't have the blue eyes that they normally did.

"That's weird Shepard, weren't these guys all fitted with implants?" Grunt asked.

"Yeah they were. Toss this guy in the back; we'll take him with us. I want some answers" Shepard instructed as Grunt lifted the dead Cerberus trooper with one hand and literally tossed him into the back of the truck.

Shepard climbed into the driver's seat and checked the gauges. There was visible damage, but it was still in working order.

"Alright everyone, load in" Shepard instructed as the two walked towards the transport.

Suddenly a Phantom appeared behind the marine, and drew her blade.

"AMBUSH!" Shepard shouted as he reached for his pistol.

It was too late. The marine turned around just in time for the blade to slice right through his helmet. Shepard and Grunt opened fire on the Phantom as two more appeared behind it.

"_Shepard I've got no shot! Get out of there!_" Garrus yelled.

Shepard and Grunt continued to fire at the Phantoms, killing one. Suddenly, sniper fire began to rain down on the truck.

"Get in, dammit!" Shepard shouted at Grunt who was standing behind the vehicle.

Grunt jumped in the back, and Shepard smashed his foot down on the pedal, sending the truck speeding forward. He made a hard left, causing the tires to squeal loudly, and ran down the two remaining Phantoms who flew up over the roof as he sped through.

"Twenty seconds Vakarian, get everyone ready to go. We've got company and no time to waste!" Shepard shouted at Garrus as they sped down the street back towards the store.

Garrus leapt up from his perch and darted to the hatch. He slid down the ladder, not touching a single rung on the way down. He looked around the room and saw that everyone had already moved downstairs, so he kept running.

"Alright everyone, we've got ten seconds. Get in the truck as fast as you can, and get down, Shepard is taking fire" Garrus instructed to the others as he cracked the door open and peered out. Just as he did, the truck pulled up and squealed to a halt.

Shepard got out and drew his Viper, and started firing towards the advancing Cerberus troops. Bullets were whizzing past, as Grunt leapt out of the back and ran to the others. He slung Tali over his shoulder, and charged towards the waiting vehicle, as Shepard fired off two more rounds. Everyone followed, as the marine stopped and looked at Shepard.

"Where is Stevens?!" he shouted.

"He didn't make it, now get in!" Shepard commanded as he fired again, and then popped the thermal clip.

The marine complied, and loaded into the back of the truck. Everyone was back there except Garrus who had taken the passenger's seat up front.

"Is this thing bulletproof?" he asked Shepard, who climbed in and slammed the door.

"I doubt it Garrus" Shepard replied as he slammed the pedal down again, and whipped the truck around the corner.

As they came around, they were amazed at what they saw. Dozens of Cerberus troopers had gathered in the street, along with several engineers who were setting up turrets. Shepard looked over at Garrus.

"No other option, Shepard. Just do it!" Garrus shouted.

"Hold on everyone, it's gonna get rough!" Shepard shouted as he smashed the pedal to the floor.

The tires spun for a moment as the transport shot forward towards the barricade. The troopers began to fire, but the bullets bounced off of the glass.

"How do you like that, Garrus? A lucky break" Shepard joked as they continued on.

The truck rammed into several of the troopers, sending them flying. The engineers couldn't set up the turrets properly as they leapt out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. The turrets fell to their sides, and began to fire, spinning on the ground and hitting mostly Cerberus soldiers.

"I'll be damned, two for two!" Garrus shouted with a smile.

"I told you Vakarian! An Archangel!' Shepard laughed as the truck blew through the barricade, causing it to hop, but doing minimal damage. Several troopers and Krogan swarmed to the barricade, and continued firing at the transport. Garrus hit Shepard on the shoulder as they sped off down the street.

"This looks bad, Shepard" Garrus said as the team continued on past several craters in the road. The buildings around them were badly damaged, with bullet holes and burn marks on nearly all of them.

"We need to stop this" is all Shepard said, as they made their way back to Alliance controlled territory.

When they arrived at the hospital, a team of guards ran out to greet them, guns drawn.

"Identify yourselves!" one of the guards shouted.

"I'm Commander Shepard. I've got a wounded Quarian in the back, she needs help fast. And there are several members of my team. They need medical attention, and water" Shepard replied.

"Yes Commander!" the guard replied.

Two of the guards rushed to the back of the transport, with Shepard following. A medical response team had come out with a stretcher. The rear hatch of the vehicle opened, and slowly everyone filed out, leaving only Grunt and Wrex. When they jumped out, the guards drew their guns again.

"Krogan!" one shouted as he aimed his rifle at Wrex.

"Stow that weapon soldier, he's a friendly!" Shepard shouted, swatting the gun down.

"I'm sorry sir. We've just been a little on edge around here today" the guard replied as he lowered his rifle the rest of the way.

"Doesn't matter now, get Tali inside!" Shepard shouted, as the team headed off into the hospital.

"Next time you point that gun at me, you better use it. Because I guarantee you, there won't be a third time" Wrex said to the guard.

As the two Krogan turned and walked towards the hospital, Wrex stopped. He turned around, and head butted the guard, knocking him to the ground. Grunt laughed, as he and Wrex walked inside.


	7. Silverware in the Street

Chapter 7: Silverware in the Street

Shepard was waiting outside Tali's room with Garrus. It was a "clean room", much smaller and on a different floor than the master bedroom, but the lavish nature of the old estate still shown through the new medical refit.

"How's she doing?" Shepard asked as he turned to a female Quarian doctor who had just stepped out into the hall.

"Fortunately, the Medi-gel was applied correctly, and the antibiotics slowed the spread of the infection. Tali'Zorah is stabile but it will take her some time to recover completely. Her suit has been fully repaired, but she must remain in the clean room for now, until we can ensure there are no recurring infections. Whoever did that field patch may very well have saved her life." replied the doctor as she turned and walked down the hall.

Garrus turned to Shepard as the doctor walked away, "well, I guess I get to thank you again, Shepard; for saving all of us. I was worried for a minute there, I thought we were going to lose 'Ms. Vas Normandy', but you showed up, eventually."

"I just pulled you out of there Garrus, you heard the doctor. It was you who saved Tali" Shepard replied.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It surprised me though, that I could patch up her suit. Didn't get to field test 'Quarian First Aid' very often with C-Sec" Garrus said.

"You came through, Garrus" Shepard said as he patted the Turian's shoulder, then turned and walked back down the hall. As he boarded the elevator and pressed the button, he leaned back against the wall and looked towards the ceiling. He hadn't had a moment of peace since he came out of his coma. As he reached the top floor, he walked out and down the hall to the conference room where Ashley, James, Liara, and Wrex had gathered.

When Shepard got to the room, the team was sitting around the holographic image of Admiral Hackett.

"Glad you're here commander" Admiral Hackett said, as Shepard walked in and took a seat.

"Yeah, so am I" Wrex said, "we're going to tear Wreav apart for this!"

"I'll be frank, commander" Admiral Hackett began, "we haven't even rebuilt our forces by half, we're in no position to fend off a joint Krogan-Cerberus invasion."

"Can we get the Turians, or the Salarians to help? I think we've earned a few favors" Shepard asked.

Hackett explained "The Turians are unwilling to leave Palaven right now. They aren't in much of a better situation than we are, and they won't be willing to part with their forces with the Krogan separatists on the warpath. I put in a request with some of our STG contacts, but as of yet I haven't received a response. We're being hit on all continents, and we're not having much success with containing it. We've lost operational control of England west and south of London, and the remaining United Kingdom is following suit. We're maintaining our line at the river, but that's about the only good news we've got right now."

Wrex stood up, and walked towards the middle of the room, "the forces loyal to me will stay on Palaven, and those who're here will be more than ready to help" he said as he pointed towards the window, "what's happening out there now, is going to end with a bullet, right between Wreav's eyes."

"Thank you Wrex, we need all the help we can get, and I'm sure the Turians feel the same way" Hackett said.

"Now what kind of ally would I be, if I cut and run when the fun starts?" Wrex said with a grin "but I'm not doing this for the Turians, or even Earth. Wreav isn't going to stop with the humans, or Palaven, or even that Salarian planet. I need to stop Wreav, for my people. We worked too hard to cure the Genophage, and secure a dignified place in the galaxy, to have him screwing it all up now" he said, as he turned and sat back in his chair.

"I still want to know how he survived that thresher maw back on Tuchanka" Shepard said, turning to Wrex.

"Wish I could tell you, Shepard. I didn't believe it myself, when I heard he was still alive. But, like always, we're going to correct that" Wrex said, slightly irritated.

"Using the remaining allied forces, we'll keep holding the line on Earth, Commander. In the meantime, I want you to organize your team, and start counter measures in London. If we can push them out of here, we can establish a suitable base of operations, and bring in more strike teams. The enemy is entrenched, and their anti-aircraft batteries are keeping us from putting large teams planetside. We need you to get in behind their lines, and disrupt them as much as you can. Keep them looking over their shoulders while command organizes a strong ground resistance. As always, good luck commander, Hackett out" the Admiral said as his image flickered out.

Shepard looked around at his team. "It looks like we're the tip of the spear again, any chance the Normandy is still in orbit?" he asked.

James answered, "She's back under direct Alliance command. After you went out of play, Hackett recalled it, along with the rest of the functioning Alliance vessels. Trying to rebuild the armada I imagine."

"Alright, Liara, how long until we can get some people in here to upgrade this room into a command center?" Shepard said with a sigh.

"Within thirty minutes" she replied, "I am already working on it" she said as she pulled up her Omni-tool and started typing away.

"Great. Ashley, James, see if you can get some marines up here on regular rotation. We need this room secured. Also, we need to start coordinating with primary hospital security. 'Arcturus Memorial' just became a frontline safe-house. I want every window, door, sink and flytrap inspected and secured" Shepard instructed as he stood up, "I doubt administration will mind if we commandeer this room. We have our orders. Dismissed."

Shepard turned and walked back out into the hall. He walked over to a guard rail and looked out at the rest of the hospital. He stared blankly for a few moments, as he contemplated the situation. As he was thinking, Liara walked up next to him and leaned down on the guard rail.

"So, I guess this means you are going back to the Alliance, Shepard?" she asked.

"At least for now, I am. My mission was to stop Cerberus, and save Earth. Although, it didn't end with destroying the Reapers like we thought it would" Shepard replied with an exhausted tone.

"Shepard, you have done more for Earth and the entire galaxy than any one person in history. You do not have to jump right back into the fight, just because you can walk again" Liara responded growing aggravated.

"But I do have to, Liara. Could you sit on the sidelines and watch if this were Thessia?" he said, angrily.

"No, I do not think I could. But I also did not go up inside the Citadel, face down the leader of the Reapers, and get blown halfway across a country, protecting Thessia, Shepard" she said to him with tears forming in her eyes.

"What do you want me to do, Liara? People are counting on me. I can't just sit here while Earth is under attack; Cerberus and Krogan are killing civilians out there and I can do something to stop it" Shepard said, raising his voice slightly.

Liara started to speak again, but paused briefly. "And when will you be done fighting, Shepard? Will you ever be done?" she asked calmly.

He stared into Liara's eyes, wanting to come up with an answer, to tell her that this was his last fight, but he couldn't. He knew that as long as he had legs under him, he was going to keep fighting. Before he could think of something to say, a small team of Alliance engineers appeared behind them.

"Commander Shepard, I'm Sergeant Chase with the 314th Engineering Corps. We're here to convert this room" one of the engineers said with a salute.

"Speak with Lt. Commander Williams, she's just inside" Shepard replied, pointing them into the room behind them.

Liara looked blankly at him for a moment, then lowered her head and walked off towards her room. Shepard started to call out to her, but stopped. He needed some time to think, and assumed she did, too. He turned and followed the engineers into the conference room.

Liara walked into her room, and sat down on the bed. She stared out the window for a few moments, and then turned to her terminal. "Glyph" she said as the drone appeared, "what is the status of our connection to our agents?"

"Communication is fully functional, doctor. Nearly all operatives have checked in, and are returning to full duty, those who did not survive have been replaced" Glyph replied as he floated closer to Liara, "Only three agents remain unaccounted for: Operatives Maroth, Karzak, and Feron."

"Where was Operative Feron when he last checked in?" Liara asked, as she began typing at her terminal.

"Last known location of Operative Feron was the Terminus Systems. The planet he was on is unknown" Glyph replied.

Liara continued working at her terminal. She sifted through Feron's reports, and personal correspondence, searching for a clue to his whereabouts. She and Glyph worked furiously for hours, sifting through Feron's messages, refugee manifests, and casualty reports, but had no luck. Beginning to grow tired, she leaned back on the bed, and closed her eyes. She had just started to doze off, when all of a sudden, she heard a familiar voice.

"What is troubling you now, Asari?" the voice asked.

"Javik" Liara said as she shot forward in her seat, "what are you doing here?"

"I heard news that the commander had awakened, and I came as soon as I was able to" Javik replied.

"But where did you go? After we found Shepard, you just disappeared…." Liara asked.

Hesitating for a moment, he explained "after the defeat of the Reapers, I believed that my purpose had been fulfilled. I did not believe that Shepard would awaken, and I knew that I was the last Prothean, and did not think that I had a place left in this cycle. I wanted to spend my remaining days in the glory of my people, so I "requisitioned" a shuttle and travelled to the planet you call "Mars". When I got there, I discovered that the Reapers had destroyed most of the human station and the Prothean archives. As I looked through the remaining items I realized that the fate of this station would most likely be the same as the fate of our other remaining cities. I became enraged by the desire of the Reapers to wipe all traces of our existence. The notion that an entire race of people, MY people, could be nothing more than a vague idea or some story told by primitive children around a fire in order to scare each other is simply maddening. I was somewhat surprised to discover that the central chamber had been ignored by the reapers. But then I discovered that the humans had not even reached it."

"The chamber was unreachable, Javik. The researchers were not sure there was more, and had come to a point where digging deeper would threaten the stability of all the chambers they had discovered" Liara argued.

"Then why did they not simply use the door?" Javik asked smugly as Liara began to stammer. He continued "It is of no import now. The legacy of the Prothean Empire must be told, and I want to make sure that it is told correctly. I have found new purpose in helping you write your book, Asari. We will bring back the glory of my people, perhaps not through population, but we will ensure that they are never forgotten. However, first I must speak with the human who helped me avenge their deaths."

Liara was frozen in shock. She hadn't known what happened to Javik after they recovered Shepard, and she was floored by the prospect of authoring the complete Prothean Legacy with the help of an actual Prothean. "He is just down the hall, Javik. I will take you to speak with him" she said as she rose slowly from the bed and led the Prothean out of the room.

"You never answered my question" he stopped her as she brushed past.

"It is a long story, perhaps we can discuss it later" she said as she turned and they continued towards the conference room.

As they approached the doorway, Liara could see that the engineers were well into the updating of the conference room. The old wooden structure had been refitted with metal beams, and monitors. Bundles of cable hung from the ceiling. The door had been removed, and was set to be replaced by a security hatch. Inside she could hear Ashley and James talking with a few of the marines, and what sounded like Garrus and Shepard talking in the background.

"…I don't know why, either" Liara faintly heard Shepard say.

"She just wants to see you when you get a chance. She's still in the clean room, but you can go in there with a suit on. I'm going to head up to the roof and get a better view of the city. I'll let you know what I come up with" Garrus said. Suddenly he appeared in the hallway in front of Liara and Javik.

"Hello Garrus" Liara said.

"Hey, I'm just on my way somewhere; I'll catch up with you later. Good to see you back, Javik. Still brooding, I assume?" Garrus said as he brushed past the two of them and continued down the hall to the elevator.

"The Turian is acting strangely, something is bothering him. I could sense it when he walked by. Perhaps it is best if I come back later" Javik suggested.

"I could sense it as well, but there is no need for you to come back later. There are some things I must attend to. Shepard is inside, I will leave you two alone to talk" Liara said as she turned and hurried back to her room.

"No matter how hard I try, I do not think I will ever understand these evolved primitives" Javik said aloud, shaking his head as he entered the room.

He walked over to Shepard, "Commander" he said.

"Hello Javik, where have you been?" Shepard asked, not knowing that the Prothean had disappeared for so long.

"I have been out, remembering what it means to be a Prothean. Right now, I need to speak to you about something else" the Prothean replied.

"Of course" Shepard said as he led Javik back out into the hall "what is it?"

"I wanted to thank you, Commander. My people put me into that stasis pod with the hopes that I would resume the legacy of the Prothean Empire. Even though I was unable to materialize that goal in the way they hoped, you helped me fulfill my other purpose, which was bringing about the destruction of the Reapers. There will never be a second Prothean Empire, but, because of you, millions of my people may now rest in peace" he explained.

"You don't have to thank me Javik. The Reapers needed to be destroyed, but I am glad that I was able to help you. A lot of people's lives were destroyed by the Reapers; I just hope that wherever they are now, they're looking down on us and smiling" Shepard replied, thinking of Mordin, and Kaidan, and his parents.

"I am unfamiliar with the religious practices of humans, but if it helps you to feel better, then I am sure that those people are contented with what we have accomplished. I am aware of your current situation, with the Krogan. I would be happy to assist you in any way that I am able, it is the least that I can do to repay you on behalf of every Prothean" Javik stated.

"Thank you, Javik. I could use all the help I can get. Honestly I wasn't ready to jump back into the fight so soon" Shepard said.

"Of course you were, Commander. You are a capable warrior, a defender of all people. Even if you would like to, you would not be able to simply put down your weapon and fade into civilian life, it is not who you are, I could sense that the first time we spoke" Javik replied, with a tone of indignation "my cycle had many great warriors, leaders, you are like them. Do not run from this, Commander, embrace who you are. Your allies will respect you, and your enemies will fear you. We will put down these Krogan, just as we did to the Reapers, and any enemies that may come after. For now, I will find a place here to occupy. I will let you know when I am settled" Javik said as he turned and walked back towards the elevator.

Shepard stood there for a moment, thinking about what Javik said. He turned and walked back into the conference room. He tinkered with a datapad, trying to assist with the software upgrades for several minutes, before turning to the engineers.

"How's it coming?" he asked.

"It's going very smoothly commander" the Sergeant replied "we have you linked into Alliance channels, there's a QEC linked to Admiral Hackett installed, and the Strategy Map is nearly fully functional. Once we get the security hatch put in, it'll be good to go."

"Good to hear. Ashley, James, stay here with the team until they're finished, I'm going to go check on Tali" Shepard said as he headed back out into the hall.

"Aye Commander" James replied as he turned back to one of the engineers and continued his story, "did you hear the one about how we took down Cronos Station?..."

Shepard walked down the hall towards the elevator. Before he got there, he stopped and walked over to the door to Liara's room. As he was about to go in, he overheard her and Javik talking inside. He thought about going in, but instead turned and continued towards the elevator. He pressed the button, but looked back down the hallway. When the elevator arrived Shepard took a step in, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg. He stopped dead in his tracks, and tried to gently turn back towards Liara's room, but as he placed his foot on the ground, his knee buckled, and he spun violently to the floor. The pain intensified. It was excruciating now, causing him to cry out.

From down the hall, James heard Shepard yell. "What the hell?" he exclaimed as he bolted out of the upgraded conference room. "Commander!" he called out, searching around for Shepard. Ashley and the Alliance engineers followed him out of the room, and spread out to search. James looked around, calling out to Shepard as he went. Finally, he made his way to the elevator and found the commander lying on the ground, face down and trying to pull himself along the floor.

"Somebody get the doctor! The commander is hurt!" James yelled out.

All the commotion got Liara's attention from in the room with Javik. She burst through the door and out into the atrium. "Shepard!" she called out, searching frantically. As she did, the engineers bolted past her, towards the elevator. Liara ran behind them, with Javik following their lead. As they approached, they found James kneeling next to Shepard, who had been flipped over on his back. Seeing him lying on his back, Liara dropped to her knees next to him.

"Goddess, what happened?" she asked.

"I don't know, I was getting in the elevator, and I felt this terrible pain in my leg. Next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground, and Vega here is holding my hand" Shepard replied.

Just then, Dr. Chakwas and Ashley arrived at the scene, followed by several hospital assistants carrying a stretcher.

"My goodness Shepard, are you alright?" the doctor asked him as she instructed her crew to put Shepard on the stretcher.

"I'm alright, but I can't feel my leg" he answered, as the team set him on the board and lifted him off the ground.

They carried Shepard into his room, and placed him on the bed.

"That will be all, thank you" Dr. Chakwas said, dismissing the hospital staff. "Commander, did you hit your head when you fell?" she asked.

"Yeah, it hurts, but the stretcher was probably a bit much, doctor" Shepard said with a smug grin.

"I'm taking every precaution with you, commander. After you ignored my recommendation earlier and went out guns blazing" Dr. Chakwas scolded as she shined a flashlight into his eyes, checking for a concussion.

Shepard sat up on the bed, and slung his legs down off the side, "So, what's wrong with my legs?" he asked.

The doctor scanned Shepard with her Omni-tool, "It looks like your stabilizers were damaged, probably from heavy use. These are not combat skeletal supports, commander; they are simply medical devices to allow you to walk. I will get you a new pair, but you mustn't go running off into battle until you can move without them" she replied, as she turned and walked back out of the room.

Liara sat down in a chair in the corner of the room where she had been standing. She rested her elbows on her knees and folded her hands in front of her face, and stared at Shepard.

"What's the matter, Liara?" he asked.

She scoffed, and replied "that is kind of a silly question, isn't it?"

He lowered his head and sighed, "I'll be fine, I promise."

"I am sure you will, but not only was I worried, I am angry that you ignored the doctor and risked your own health to go off and fight another battle" Liara exclaimed.

"I didn't just go run off to fight another battle, I ran off to save you!" Shepard shouted in reply.

"That is not the point, Shepard!" she yelled, growing angrier.

"What would you have had me do, Liara?" Shepard asked "I wasn't going to let you die out there, and I couldn't wait for the Alliance to send in a team to go get you. It had to be me."

Liara hesitated for a moment, and then replied softly, "Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

Shepard froze in his seat. He hadn't even realized it, but those were the exact words he was thinking.

"I need to take a walk, Shepard. I'm going to clear my head" Liara said as she stood up and hurried out the door. He tried to call out to her, but before he could, she was gone.

Shepard sat on the bed, frustrated at the situation. Before he could dwell on it for long, Dr. Chakwas reappeared in the room, stabilizers in hand.

"Where is Liara?" she asked.

"She went for a walk" he replied.

"Strange timing" the doctor said, confused at Liara's abrupt departure, "Anyway, here are the replacement stabilizers. You must wear them until you are fully mobile without them. You also must not do anything overly strenuous while you have them on, understood?"

"I understand, Doctor" Shepard replied.

They affixed the brace-like contraptions, and Shepard stood up to try them out. He was able to walk around the room, but still with a slight limp.

"It looks like you're going to be alright. Just take it easy for a bit. You didn't suffer a concussion, so I'll give you some painkillers, they should help you relax. I recommend you stay in your room until they wear off, they will make you a touch groggy." Dr. Chakwas said as she gave Shepard an injection and then disappeared out of the room.

He sat back down on the bed and rested his head in his hands. He lay back and looked out the window and saw that the sun was going down. He hadn't had a moment to relax since he woke up a few days beforehand, so he took this opportunity to unwind for a moment. He stared up at the ceiling and thought of happier times. After a few moments, he felt himself drift off to sleep.

When he awoke, everything was dark except for a small white light next to his bed. Shepard stood up, and looked around the room. Seeing that it was empty, he walked back out into the atrium, and out into the hall. Passing by a few hospital staff, he made his way to the newly outfitted conference room. He walked up to the security hatch, and waited as the indicator light spun for a few moments. With a ding, the door flung open and he walked in to find no one but a few Alliance Marines, who were standing guard.

"How's it looking?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Everything is up and running, Commander" one of the marines said.

"Anybody know what time it is?" Shepard asked.

"It's about 0100 sir" the same marine replied, "is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, it's fine. Carry on" Shepard said as he walked around the room.

He examined for a few minutes, finding that it was very similar to the "War Room" on the Normandy. There was a large display in the middle, with several terminals around it; a Comm-link was set up just next to that. There was even a private terminal for him, set up in the back corner. He examined the map for a moment. It showed Earth, with the areas held by Cerberus and the Krogan Separatists shaded in red. It appeared that the entire border of England was under enemy control, with a large portion of the southern region completely occupied.

"If I may, sir, I thought you put an end to Cerberus by wiping out Cronos Station?" the marine asked.

"I thought so, too, Corporal" Shepard replied, as he closed the map and headed out of the room.

He searched around the floor for Liara, unable to find her. He headed back to the room to check and see if she was there, but it was still empty. He tried to contact her on her Omni-tool, but it went straight to her automated answering message. Unable to find her, he wrote her a note and set off into the hospital.

He took the elevator down to the floor that Tali was on. The hospital had been organized based on species, so there were several Quarians shuffling about as he made his way to her room. As he approached the window, he saw a doctor inside taking some readings and speaking to Tali who had put her suit back on, with the exception of her mask. Shepard looked around the hallway for Garrus, but he was conspicuously absent.

After several minutes, the Quarian doctor came out into the hall.

"Is Tali improving, doctor?" Shepard asked, stopping her from walking right past him.

"She is recovering quite well, Shepard. Her immune system is back to normal, well, for a Quarian, and the physical damage has been repaired. We'll keep her overnight to be sure, but she should be fine to leave in the morning" the doctor replied.

"She asked to speak with me, is there any way I can go in and see her?" he asked.

"It _is_ late, but it shouldn't be a problem. Just let me tell her to put her mask back on, and you should put on a rubber suit as well. Wouldn't want you to get her sick" stated the doctor, who turned and walked back into the room.

Shepard found a nearby supply cart, with a suit on it. He put it on, and waited for the doctor to come back out.

"Alright commander, you may go in. Just make sure the door is closed all the way when you come back out" the Quarian said as she hurried off down the hallway.

Shepard opened the door, and walked into Tali's room, "how are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'll be alright Shepard, this isn't the first time I've had my suit punctured" Tali responded.

He walked over and took a seat next to her bed.

"Shepard…." Tali started to say.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I want to talk to you about something, but it has to stay between me and you, is that alright?" she said.

"Of course Tali, what's on your mind?" Shepard answered.

"I have been doing a lot of thinking, and I am going to end things with Garrus, before they get too serious" Tali stated, somewhat timidly.

Shepard replied, "why Tali? You two survived the end of the galaxy together, I'd call that pretty serious."

Pausing for a moment, Tali reached over and put her hand on Shepard's face. With her three fingers she slowly pulled off his breathing mask. As he sat there looking at her, she reached up with both hands, and pulled off her own mask.

"Because you are the only one that I have ever been with like this" she said as a tear rolled down her cheek "you are the only non-Quarian to ever see me without my mask on, and I want it to stay that way."

"Tali…." Shepard began.

"I've already decided, Shepard. I realized today that I don't want to be with him. Garrus is a good friend, it would be wrong to lead him on like this" Tali said.

"I sure hope he sees it that way Tali" Shepard replied grimly, as he resigned himself to her decision.

"I didn't come to this decision lightly. When you're laid up alone for so long, your mind wanders. I asked myself why I wanted to be with Garrus, and I couldn't come up with a reason, not one that made sense to me, anyway. I am worried that I made the decision for reasons that don't apply anymore, and he deserves better than that" she tried to explain, but grew frustrated when she didn't think she could.

"Will you sit with me for a while?" she asked "I hate hospitals."

"Sure Tali" he said, leaning back in his chair.

Meanwhile, Liara had made her way back to the hospital. She took the elevator to the top floor, and walked back into her room. It was nearly 3am, and she was surprised to find that Shepard wasn't there.

"Glyph" she called out to her drone assistant as it appeared from the shadows, "where is Shepard?"

"The commander woke up at 1248 local time, doctor. He left the room at 1252, he returned briefly forty minutes later, and left again after leaving a note on the table" Glyph replied.

Liara walked over to the note and picked it up.

_"Liara, I'm not sure where you went, but I'm going to take a walk around the hospital.  
If you're reading this, and you want to talk, come find me in the conference room._

Otherwise, I'll be back soon

_-Travis"_

Liara placed the note back on the table. She sat down and took a drink of water. After a moment she stood up, and rushed out towards the conference room. As she approached the hatch, the green indicator light began to spin. As the door opened, she slowly stepped in.

"Shepard?" she called out softly.

"He isn't here, Doctor T'Soni. He came in a couple hours ago, then left, didn't say where he was going though" one of the guards told her.

"Has anyone else come in since then?" she asked.

"Other than you, no. Shift change is in an hour though, if anyone comes by, I'll pass it along" he replied.

Liara thanked him and headed out back into the hallway. "Where could he be?" she thought to herself. She began to search the hospital, checking all the common areas first, and then pacing the floors. After about an hour she made her way to the Quarian area of the hospital. She walked over to a desk, and found one of the workers, diligently typing on an Omni-tool.

"Excuse me" she asked, "Has Commander Shepard been through here recently?"

"I haven't seen him" the male Quarian responded, not taking his eyes off of his work.

"Thank you, if he comes through here, can you let him know that I am looking for him?" Liara said politely as she turned to leave. Just then, the doctor leaned out from one of the offices behind the desk.

"Are you looking for Shepard?" she asked.

"Yes I am; have you seen him?" Liara inquired.

"He came down a few hours ago, to check on Tali'Zorah. I don't know if he is still in there, but I haven't seen him leave" the doctor stated.

"Thank you" Liara replied as she headed off towards Tali's room.

When she got to the room, she peered in through the window. It was mostly dark, but she could faintly see Shepard in the chair, his arms folded in front of him and his head down, asleep. She saw Tali, passed out on her bed, facing towards Shepard. Seeing that he was alright she turned to leave. Before she did, she noticed something shiny sitting near Tali's feet. Liara squinted, trying to make it out; her eyes grew wide when she realized what it was.

"Her mask…." Liara said aloud, wondering why she took it off. When she remembered what happened on the "Cerberus Normandy", she started piecing it together. Liara let out a deep sigh as she turned and headed back down the hall towards the elevator.

"Did you find him?" the doctor called out.

"Yes, he's still in the room, fast asleep. Please, don't wake him" Liara requested politely as she boarded the elevator back to the top floor.

Notes: Hey Everyone, sorry for the wait. It's been kinda a hectic week, but I tried to make this chapter longer to make up for it. As always, thanks for reading!


	8. Ascended Destiny

Chapter 8: Ascended Destiny

Shepard awoke to find that he was still in Tali's room. The sun was still low in the sky, and she was still fast asleep. He stood up and walked to her bedside, still feeling stiff from sleeping in the chair. Shepard looked at Tali's sleeping figure for a moment as he reattached her mask and walked back out into the hall, stretching as he went. He took off the rest of the containment suit, and limped towards the elevator. Before he could summon it, one of the Quarian hospital workers stopped him.

"Commander Shepard" she said, "a 'Doctor T'Soni' came looking for you last night, and she asked us to let you know."

"Thank you" Shepard said as he boarded the elevator.

When he reached the top floor, Shepard stepped out and walked to his room. As he entered, he was surprised to find Liara sitting up on the bed.

"You're up early" he said.

"That is easy to do, when you did not go to sleep" Liara responded somberly.

Shepard walked over to her, and sat next to her on the bed "what's the matter, Liara?" he asked as he put his hand on her leg.

"Shepard" she began, "I am not quite sure how to say this, so I will just come right out with it." She hesitated for a moment, and then took a deep breath. Liara continued "Javik came to me last night, and spoke of his wish to transcribe the true legacy of the Prothean Empire. We concluded that in order to achieve the highest level of accuracy, we must travel directly to the remnants of their cities….."

"That sounds great Liara, but I don't think now is the best time to go running around the galaxy" Shepard interrupted, curious and slightly agitated.

"All my life, I have studied the Protheans; it is what made me who I am today. Even my meeting you started when you rescued me from those Prothean Ruins on Therum. In my travels I have found many things, many pieces of a larger puzzle and now Javik is able to help fill in what I have missed. I need to go, Shepard, this is not an opportunity I can pass up" Liara said in a somber tone.

"What are you saying, Liara?" Shepard asked.

"I am saying that I need to reconsider several things from my past. To figure out if the decisions I've made were the right ones. I need to determine what and who I need in my life, we both do" Liara explained.

Shepard wanted to argue, but he wasn't sure what she meant. He could, however, tell that her mind was made up.

"We have been through a lot together, Shepard. Given the chance, I would not take any of it back, but I find myself very confused. This is the best way I know to straighten things out" she explained.

As much as he wanted to convince her to stay, he knew she needed to go. He couldn't ask her to stand by, while he fought again to save humanity.

"If this is what you need to do, I won't stand in your way, and I can't follow you. I hope that you find whatever it is that you're looking for out there" he said, trying to conceal how hard it was to let her go.

She took his hand in hers, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. After sitting for a few moments, Shepard stood up and walked to the door. He turned around and looked at Liara, trying to think of something to say. Nothing appropriate came to his mind, so he forced a smile, and she reciprocated as he turned and walked out.

Shepard walked down the hall to the conference room. He grabbed a chair and pulled it over to his terminal, and began skimming through his messages. There were several field reports, and alliance correspondence. Near the bottom of the list was a message that stood out. It was encrypted, received today and the title read: "Pertinent Information". He opened it and read:

_"Shepard: I have something you'll want to hear about the Cerberus force on Earth. Meet me inside the old clock tower at sunset. _

_-ML"_

Shepard closed the message and walked to the map. As the image of Earth appeared, Wrex came into the room.

"Anything new, Shepard?" Wrex asked.

"Actually, no; Wreav's forces are dug in, but they aren't advancing. They're set up in defensive positions, and aren't actively engaging our forces. They are reportedly only firing at anyone who tries to advance" Shepard replied.

"Hrrrmph" Wrex began, "there's something strange about this, Shepard. They have a solid position, why aren't they attacking?"

"It almost seems like they're waiting for something, trying to keep us away, but not trying to take more ground" Shepard said, scratching his head.

"That's my point, Wreav is an idiot, he's no tactician. He should be charging like a Varren to its dinner. Something smells fishy here, Shepard" Wrex replied.

While the two continued to talk, Ashley, James and Grunt entered the room. Wrex pulled Grunt aside, while the two humans walked over to Shepard.

"Good morning, Commander" Ashley said "any news from the front?"

"The news is that there is no news; I'll explain when everyone gets here. Is Garrus on his way?" Shepard asked.

"We haven't seen him Loco, not today at least. I thought he'd be here already" James replied.

"Maybe he's still sleeping down by Tali's room" Ashley suggested.

"No, he wasn't there last night, either" Shepard replied.

"How do you…." Ashley said, catching herself "what I mean is... I will take your word for it, sir."

Everyone in the room gathered around the map display.

"Alright, we don't have time to wait" Shepard said as he focused the map in on their location, "We don't have the coast, anywhere. Everything south of our position is under enemy control, and we're sitting ducks. The strange thing is that they aren't pushing. They could easily take half of the island before our forces would be condensed enough to put up a meaningful fight and even then we'd be surrounded, but reports indicate no offensive maneuvers."

"Ok, so what's the deal? Why aren't they tightening the noose?" James asked.

"I don't know. Get a couple recon teams in position close to their lines, on the rooftops. I want twenty four-seven 'birds eye' surveillance. James, since Garrus isn't here, I want you to assemble an infiltration team. Keep them on standby; we may need to send them in to figure this out" Shepard instructed. "Wrex, have your men reported any movement on Palaven?" he asked.

"Unfortunately no, but they're ready. If Wreav tries to make a move, my men'll be waiting for 'im" Wrex replied. "In the meantime, I put out a call to any Krogan left on Earth to join up with us. A few have shown up, and I'm sending Grunt out to find more. It won't be long before we, the true Krogan, are pushing these quadless Pyjaks off your planet."

"Alright everyone, keep me updated. For now, you know what to do, dismissed" Shepard said as the team stood up and left.

He checked his terminal again, and found nothing new. He walked out into the hall, and turned to one of the marines.

"When Garrus gets here, send him to my quarters" Shepard instructed.

The marine acknowledged and Shepard continued down the hall to his room. He walked in to find it empty. All of Liara's things, even Glyph, were gone. Shepard limped over to the window and looked out over the city. He could see the boundary between the Alliance and Cerberus controlled territories. It reminded him of stories of medieval sieges in which the invading army would surround a castle, cut off its supplies, and wait until surrender, or for everyone inside to die of starvation.

Thinking about starvation made Shepard hungry. Then, just as if he had ordered room service, there was a knock at the door.

"It's open" he announced.

A nurse brought in a tray and sat it down on a table.

"I brought your breakfast, Commander" she said.

"Thank you, I was just realizing how hungry I was, I can't remember the last time I ate" he replied.

"That's what Dr. T'Soni said when she ordered it for you. Have a good day, Commander" the nurse said as she turned and walked back out of the room.

Shepard walked over, and sat down at the table. He smiled a half-hearted smile as he pulled the lid off. He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip. As he sat the cup back on the table, his Omni-tool started to go off. He pulled it up to see the image of a short, rotund doctor with glasses and a receding hairline.

"Can I help you?" Shepard asked.

"Yes Commander, my name is Doctor McKeeves. I have been running studies on that Cerberus corpse you brought in. Do you have a moment to come and speak with me? I'm in the morgue, basement level" the doctor asked.

"I'll be right down" Shepard said as he turned off his Omni-tool. He shoved a couple bites of food into his mouth before setting off to speak with the doctor.

When he got to there, the doctor was waiting for him outside the door.

"Ah, Commander Shepard, thank you for coming by. I'm Dr. McKeeves, a bio-geneticist" the doctor said.

"Nice to meet you doctor. What can you tell me about our Cerberus friend?" Shepard asked.

"Well, your suspicions were correct, Commander. The specimen you brought in does differ greatly from previous recoveries. This one in fact has zero Reaper based augmentation, which is different from all other recovered subjects" the doctor explained.

"So, maybe he was one of the lucky ones who hadn't been integrated yet?" Shepard suggested.

"A slim possibility, Shepard. In the months leading up to the assault on the Cronos Station, Cerberus had accelerated their augmentation protocol. If this is in fact a "lucky one" as you called him, he would be the first we've discovered since the initial Reaper invasion. However, this is a puzzling find, as he appears to be largely unaltered" the doctor countered as he turned and led Shepard into the morgue.

"What do you mean, 'largely' unaltered?" Shepard asked.

"Caught that did you?" the doctor chided smugly, "while genetically natural, this poor fellow had veins the size of a vacuum hose. This was troubling enough, but upon further inspection, my team and I discovered lesions on his mucus membranes. These lesions appear all throughout the subject's nasal cavity, throat, and lungs."

"So, he inhaled something? Are you saying Cerberus is doping their operatives? Red Sand? What?" Shepard asked again, growing frustrated.

"It would appear that this chap was subjected to something, unnatural. History with Cerberus suggests it would be some kind of substance that would instill absolute obedience. The chemical tests have disqualified Red Sand, but what it _IS, _is still a mystery. I was hoping you could provide some insight. Can you tell me anything about this fellow? Was he speaking or acting strangely when you first encountered him?" the doctor asked.

"Other than not breathing and lying in a pool of his own blood? No, completely normal" Shepard snipped, "When I found this guy, he had been dead for a while, along with his squad-mate."

"Pity, I was hoping to get some behavioral indicators. You didn't happen to recover his mate, did you Commander?" the doctor requested.

"I was in the middle of a firefight, Doctor; not shopping for shoes" Shepard quipped.

"Also a pity, I would have loved to have a second specimen for a cross analysis. Well, thank you for your time, Commander. Oh, one more thing, before I forget. I am no military man, but you may find this tactically significant" the doctor continued as he walked over to a desk and lifted up a thin, broken piece of metal. "The armor these lads are wearing is quite flimsy, it's practically held together with glue. This piece here fell on the floor and got stepped on, nearly snapped it in two."

"That's strange, Cerberus usually has serviceable armor on their troopers" Shepard said curiously, as the doctor handed him the piece of armor.

"That, I cannot direct you on Commander. I am a medical scientist, battle and armament tactics are practically Greek to me" Dr. McKeeves explained.

"Why do I get the feeling you speak Greek?" Shepard asked sarcastically.

"I do!" the doctor replied gleefully, "but now, I must return to my work. I will let you know if I find anything else useful. Good day, Shepard."

The commander turned and walked out of the morgue, leaving Dr. McKeeves reading a datapad.

_Why would Cerberus troops be so ill-equipped? _He wondered to himself as he boarded the elevator.

Shepard walked into his room, and sat the armor plate on the table. He sat down and stared at the piece of jagged metal, trying to find an answer.

As the day pushed on, there were few developments, and even fewer reports. The stagnation was making Shepard uneasy. It was nearing sundown and Garrus still hadn't shown up. Shepard walked into the Command Center and sat down at his terminal.

James walked in and sat down by the strategy map.

"I've got an infiltration team on standby, commander" James said "although, to be honest, I don't know if I should be the one to lead it."

"Don't worry Vega; I'm putting Garrus in charge of the team. Not that I doubt your leadership qualifications, but successful infiltration requires a needle. You're more of a sledgehammer, James" Shepard explained with a chuckle.

"Hey, I'm the best damn sledgehammer you got, Loco" James replied, laughing along with him.

"That you are, Vega. That you are" Shepard said.

"So, anything new? Did Cerberus toss their guns on the ground and surrender to you yet?" James asked, jokingly.

"No, nothing like that. They're sitting still and I want to know why. They should be advancing, or at least firing. I don't believe they came all the way here just to sit on a riverbed" Shepard replied as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Was it something I said?" James asked sarcastically.

"No, I just realized I have to be somewhere, the clock tower" Shepard responded.

"What's at the clock tower?" Vega asked.

"Answers, hopefully" Shepard said.

"Mind if I tag along?" James asked, "been itching to get away from this hospital for a while, and you could use the back up."

The commander signaled him to follow as the two headed out. When they got to the street it was eerily quiet.

"Man, you'd think there'd be a little more noise for a city this big" James stated.

"Most of the civilians fell back towards Oxford when the fighting started, and whichever ones are left are most likely hiding. The Krogan picked off the coastal cities first, one by one; so everyone who could get out evacuated inland. The only people you'll find around here are military, medical staff and Wreav's people" Shepard told him.

They continued towards the clock tower, passing by several hurriedly thrown together military encampments. Military personnel from all races in the galaxy had gathered, and were dutifully on guard, nervously anticipating an advance by the Cerberus-Krogan invaders.

After a few blocks, the two reached the old clock tower. It was a predominately stone structure; fragments of stained glass windows lined the outer walls. There was even a fence around the perimeter, hiding a very old (and very small) cemetery. They began scouting around the perimeter. After they determined the area was clear, they went inside pistols drawn.

"So, what information are we looking for, exactly?" James asked.

"I'm supposed to be meeting someone, an old friend. But be on guard, you never know when one of these 'meet-ups' will turn out to be a trap" Shepard answered, as the two searched the ground floor.

After they still didn't find anyone, the two started up the stairs towards the top of the tower.

"Damn, didn't they have elevators when they built this thing?" James said as they progressed upwards.

"Vega, as long as when we get there we aren't met by Quasimodo holding a shotgun, I'll take the stairs" Shepard joked.

When they got to the top, the two stood in a small room. It was mostly dark, and the aging wooden frame creaked under their feet. Adjacent to this area was a larger room. The moonlight shone in through the frosted glass face of the old clock, revealing the large gears and rods and pulleys that used to make it work. As the two approached the small doorway, they saw Miranda, leaning over and staring out at the night sky.

Vega said "Damn Loco. Where do you…."

Shepard glowered at James, who stopped mid-sentence.

"Wait here, I'll go see what she wants" Shepard instructed as he walked into the room.

"It's been a while, Shepard" Miranda said without turning around. "Please ask your friend to stop staring at my ass, it's unbecoming" she continued, turning around to look at Shepard.

James stood in the doorway and began to stammer at Miranda's request. With a sigh, he turned around and walked away.

"I'm glad to see you're alright Miranda, how have you been?" Shepard asked.

"I wasn't alright for a while Shepard. I got pretty banged up during our little 'conversation' with the Reapers. An Alliance patrol found me in a shelter; apparently some of the refugees dragged me back there and patched me up. But that isn't why you're here" she said, lowering her head. "After the attack, I took Ori to a safe place with one of my old contacts, Jalon. We worked together long before I even met you, so I hoped he would fly under the radar. He was a lot more involved with Cerberus than he ever let on though, the shifty Salarian. He told me about several of the dormant Cerberus cells going back online after the fall of the Reapers, and I grew… curious. Not long after that, Earth was invaded, again. You launched a missile straight up The Illusive Man's ass when you knocked out Cronos Station. The Alliance decimated their main operations facility, and every unit inside perished, or was captured. I wanted to know why and how they were supplying all these troops to the Krogan, so I put a few feelers out. Last night I got a message from someone telling me they had information about recent Cerberus activity, so I went to check it out. The information I received was horrifying" Miranda told him in a deathly serious tone.

"What did you find out?" Shepard asked impatiently.

"After you defeated Saren, Cerberus took a proprietary interest in a large planetary exploration company, one you are all too familiar with, ExoGeni" Miranda explained.

"But what interest would Cerberus have in ExoGeni?" Shepard asked again.

"They didn't care much about the company itself, only some of its property. They tried to purchase colonization rights to Feros, but since it is an Alliance affiliated corporation, ExoGeni was barred from 'officially' doing business with Cerberus, who was deemed a terrorist group. So, The Illusive Man snuck scientists onto the planet, specifically to a small port colony, 'Zhu's Hope'" Miranda continued.

"The Thorian…." Shepard was stunned, "but I killed the Thorian myself."

"Yes, but its tendrils and nerve clusters were very extensive. The scientists easily obtained samples from the remaining organic matter, large enough to send back for study, and they were studied, extensively" Miranda said grimly.

"Alright, so Cerberus was studying the Thorian…." Shepard said.

Miranda continued "Yes, it didn't make much sense to me either at the time. When I returned to Jalon's it was in ruins. Cerberus bastards tracked me there, but they must have shown up after I left. When I got back, there were still a few scouts wandering about. They attacked me, but I was able to take them down. It was a little too easy, in fact. I punched clean through their armor, Shepard, like it was….."

"Tin" Shepard said, knowingly.

"That's right. So, I investigated the bodies, and sure enough, these weren't normal Cerberus troopers, they didn't have the Reaper implants. Afterwards I searched the house for Oriana and Jalon. I found them. Jalon was lying on top of Oriana; apparently he tried to shield her, but…" Miranda got choked up.

"I'm so sorry Miranda. I know your sister meant a lot to you" Shepard tried to console her.

"I'll be alright Shepard; I can mourn my sister later. When I pulled Jalon off of her, I found something resting between them. At first I thought it was a booby trap, but after I pulled Jalon off of her, it fired up, and started playing this message..." Miranda said as she pulled a small spherical object out and tossed it on the ground.

When it landed, an orange grid patterned light appeared out of the top of it. "Please deliver me to Commander Shepard" the words appeared in the grid as it spoke in a mechanical voice.

"What is it?" Shepard asked.

As he spoke, the orange light disappeared, "Voice identification confirmed" it said.

After a few seconds, the orb began to glow bright blue, and a holographic image appeared above it. Shepard was flabbergasted when he saw it.

"Shepard" the voice of The Illusive Man was like razorblades in his ears.

"It's you, you son of a bitch" Shepard said, as James rushed back into the room upon hearing the voice.

"If I know you, Commander, you're probably in the middle of coming up with angry things to say to me. Well, allow me to ease your frustration. If you're receiving this, it means that I am no longer in command of Cerberus. And Miranda, my condolences for Oriana" the image said.

"It's a damned recording" Shepard said, as the holographic Illusive Man took a puff from its cigarette.

"You probably believed you ended Cerberus when you destroyed my station, but as I assured you, we are far more than troopers and researchers. Since you are hearing me now, it means that someone has assumed my role in the organization, and our soldiers are on Earth alongside Wreav's Krogan. Pay close attention, Shepard, as this message will only play once. Did you ever wonder, why the name 'Cerberus' was chosen? Quite simply, the answer lies in the mythical creature possessing three heads. Similarly, Cerberus was divided into three factions: Economic, Military, and Science. Each of these factions had their respective leaders, but all of them, answered to me. Now that I am no longer in command it means that one of them has stepped into my place, and are running things…. differently. After you defeated that Reaper Destroyer and Mordin cured the Genophage, two of Cerberus' top agents were dispatched to Tuchanka to survey the situation. They discovered a submerged Krogan Tomkah near the abandoned ancient city. They found Wreav inside and struck a deal with him, without my blessing. In short, they promised him support in securing power on Tuchanka, as long as he was willing to let them use it for their…. projects. There is a lot of desert on Tuchanka, after all. This brings us to Earth. I'm certain Miranda has filled you in on our acquisitions from Feros, so I'll skip right to the punch line. The Thorian had great capabilities, more than just enslaving the minds of sapient creatures. It was able to produce thralls from mere DNA, all we had to do, was unlock the secrets to the connection between the Thorian and its victims, you remember Binthu, don't you Commander?" the Illusive Man's image paused as he took another drag from his cigarette. "There is a connection here, but it is up to you to find it. I have now given you pieces to the puzzle, Shepard; it is up to you to figure out the entire picture. You will receive another message, when the time comes. In the meantime, I suggest you shield your eyes, I wouldn't want you to go blind" The Illusive Man's image began to flicker, as the small sphere began to buzz loudly.

Shepard, James and Miranda looked away as a bright light filled the room. When they looked again, the orb had disintegrated into ash, and small metal shards.

"Even in hell, that bastard is toying with me" Shepard said angrily, "but what did all that mean?"

"Thralls, Krogan, it's all gibberish. This guy was clearly close to the end of his rope when he made that" James said.

Shepard looked over to Miranda. "I don't suppose I can convince you to stay" he suggested.

"Honestly Shepard, I've nowhere else to go. The last time I asked you to help me, you did it without question. I'll help you, and together we'll take down the bastards responsible for killing Ori. Lead the way" Miranda proclaimed.

The three descended the staircase and walked back out into the street. It was still quiet, only the occasional sound of gunfire could be heard as they walked. They returned to the hospital and approached the main desk.

"I need a room, suitable for long term. Is there anything available?" Shepard asked the receptionist.

"With the fighting, many people flocked here, seeking refuge, more so than usual. It's limited, but it looks like I have a space open on floor three. It's not big, but we're running out of places to put people" the lady behind the desk replied.

"It'll be fine, Shepard. I'm just happy to have a safe place to sleep" Miranda said.

"I'll call up to the floor warden, and let him know you're coming" the receptionist announced.

Shepard thanked her as the three walked towards the elevator.

"You two go on ahead, I'm gonna go hit the lounge" James said.

"There's a lounge, Vega?" Shepard asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course there's a lounge, Commander. They mostly just serve food, but I got in good with the staff, and let's just say they know what I like to drink, too" James said as he turned around and headed off.

Shepard and Miranda boarded the elevator, and pushed the button for the third floor.

"So, who else did you dig up to help you, Shepard? I always admired your talent for recruiting" Miranda asked.

"Some people you'll recognize, some you won't" Shepard began. "Wrex and Grunt are here, James, who you just met, Ash, Dr. Chakwas, and Tali. Garrus is around somewhere, at least he was, and Liara was here, but she needed to be… somewhere else" he explained as the elevator reached the third floor.

The two exited and walked to the floor warden's desk. He handed Shepard a key pass to Miranda's room and the two walked down the hall. When they reached the door, Shepard unlocked it, and the two walked in.

"It's not so bad" Miranda said, looking around at the small room.

"Not at all, I think it might even be a little bigger than the old XO's office" Shepard agreed.

"Shepard, I'm glad to be back, and I appreciate your help, again. But I'd really like to be alone right now" Miranda said in a somber tone.

Shepard looked at her and said, "of course Miranda, I understand. I'm just upstairs if you need anything. Otherwise, I'll see you in the morning, there's a conference room on the top floor, just down the hall from my quarters, you can't miss it" he handed Miranda her key, and walked back out into the hall.

As he walked to the elevator, Shepard pulled up his Omni-tool and made a call. "James" he began, "where is that lounge you were talking about?"

James told him, and Shepard made his way there. When he arrived, he found James and the lounge staff, having drinks.

"Hey Commander, look who I found" Vega said, motioning to his left. Sitting there was Garrus, Turian liquor in hand.

"Hey Shepard, welcome to the party" Garrus said.

"Where have you been, Vakarian?" Shepard asked.

"Just out, blowing off steam, nothing too dangerous, I promise. But I ran into Vega here, and we decided to… lighten the reserves a little bit. But it just wouldn't have been the same without you, Shepard. I'm glad you could make it" Garrus said in a mixture of jest and sincerity.

The three sat and drank with the lounge workers, well into the night. While seemingly benign, a simple night of unwinding was the catalyst to the revelation that old wounds festered behind the fresh scars brought in with the new era. It had become apparent to Shepard that an event of galactic proportions could not unseat and alter the true nature of men's souls. The three crewmates, the three friends, had witnessed the worst that existence had to offer, yet still they stood, prepared to protect those who needed them. As the workers sealed the entrance to the tiny eatery, the crew exchanged their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Tonight was a night for reflection, but tomorrow's challenges were quickly approaching. As they had done so many times in the past, they would face it down, together.


	9. New Horizons

Chapter 9: New Horizons

_"Shepard!" _

_"Shepard, wake up!"_

It was still dark out. Commander Shepard rolled over onto his Omni-tool, trying to ignore the voice coming through.

"You're needed in the command room! It's urgenhrmphaf ffajoil!" The voice was muffled now, his Omni-tool tucked under him.

Shepard sat up, "what's going on?" he asked impatiently.

_"You have to see this, commander!"_ the voice, who Shepard could now identify as Lt. Commander Williams, beckoned.

"Ughnh…. I'm on my way" he said as he rose up, rubbing his eyes, and shuffled out into the hall.

Something big was going on in the hospital. Armed soldiers flocked to the exits as medical staff rushed around the halls. Shepard was nearly knocked over twice as a pair of female Medical Assistants brushed past him hurriedly, datapads and medical bags in hand.

"What's all the commotion?" Shepard asked as he entered the conference room.

"Listen to this" Williams replied as she turned up the volume on the Alliance Communicator.

_"This is scout team Echo Zulu Delta, I say again, multiple Cerberus troop transports touching down in occupied zone" _

"Mobilize everyone, we need to brace for….." Shepard started to say before being cut off by Ashley.

"Listen Commander, there's more" she instructed.

_"I don't know what the hell is going on here, command, but the shuttles appear to be air-lifting the Krogan off world. Zero incoming fire, I repeat, negative incoming fire"_

"Something must have spooked them?" James suggested.

"Or maybe they found what they're looking for" Ashley countered.

"Mobilize the armored division, if they're gonna cut and run, we'll send them off with something to remember us by" Shepard instructed, "Get me Admiral Hackett, he's going to want to hear this."

Admiral Hackett's image appeared on the vid-com, "Is this accurate commander?" he asked.

"Affirmative, Admiral. Multiple shuttles are touching down, evacuating the Krogan. I'm sending in the armor to give them a nice parting gift" Shepard answered.

"I'm receiving reports from across the globe now, Shepard; it looks like this is a mass exodus. We're slowing them down, but we're focusing on London. Fifth Fleet is on standby, ready to engage" the Admiral informed him.

Several minutes passed as the command room bustled with incoming reports.

_"Dagger 2 in position, requesting permission to engage"_

"Dagger 2 you are clear to engage, fire at will. Take as many of those bastards down as you can" Shepard ordered.

Several explosions rang out in the distance. The walls rumbled from the concussion of the heavy fire from the M-35s.

_"This is Dagger 2, seven confirmed hits on enemy targets, multiple KIAs. We have company from Cerberus ground forces approaching our position, requesting fire support"_

"Garrus, James, get your teams in position, give them cover. No tanks lost today, understood?" Shepard instructed as the two rushed out of the room.

"Commander" Admiral Hackett said, "Have your teams take out those "AA" batteries. If you can give me an opening, I'll send in the cavalry. I think it's high time we get these sons of bitches off our world."

_"Recon Echo Zulu Delta reporting in. I've got zero visual on Krogan forces, large Cerberus force gathered at main bridge. Recommend containment maneuvers"_

"Dagger 2, move to strike anti-aircraft batteries. All non-assigned engineers and infantry link up with them. The rest of you set up a perimeter. I don't want anybody crossing that bridge" Shepard instructed.

Explosions rang out in the streets as Alliance forces cut through the occupied zone. Report after report came flooding in, as enemy encampments and anti-air defenses were taken offline.

"Anti-Air batteries are going down, you've got your opening, Fifth Fleet" Shepard reported.

_"This is Echo Five-Niner; we're pinned down by a large outfit on the west end of the city. Roughly a thousand enemy combatants requesting reinforcements"_

"Garrus get your team over there" the commander instructed over the radio.

_"That won't be necessary, Commander. This is 'Sky Viper Two-Three', approach vectors locked, we are inbound"_

The ground shook as a squadron of Alliance fighters rushed past. Within minutes, drop-ships began to touch down, loosing hundreds of Alliance Marines as the sky filled with Human, Quarian and Geth ships. A handful of Cerberus shuttles were still attempting to take off, but were blown out of the sky by the incoming frigates and cruisers. The streets filled with soldiers who began to engage the remaining Cerberus and Krogan troops.

Across the board, allied forces began checking in.

_"This is Dagger 2, we found more A-A encampments, and are moving to strike"_

Suddenly, the ground shook as the remaining cannons fired futilely into the sky.

_"This is the SSV Gettysburg. We've taken direct hits from ground cannons. Shields at 6%, thrusters are offline, requesting….."_

A thunderous rumble shook the ground as a bright light filled the sky. The team in the command room watched helplessly the sight of an exploding Alliance Cruiser.

_"This is the SSV Normandy, moving to the Gettysburg's crash-site. Will drop a team and look for survivors"_

"Copy that, Normandy; let us know what you find. It's good to hear your voice again, Joker" Shepard said to his old friend.

_"Same to you, Commander. We'll trade stories and giggle later though, Normandy out"_

The battle raged on for hours. Despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered and lacking Krogan reinforcements, the Cerberus force fought bitterly throughout the city, seeming to grow more tenacious as their numbers increasingly dwindled. After the fleeing Krogan were gone and the large forces of Cerberus had dispersed, nearly a third of the city had suffered major damage. Buildings lay in ruin and rubble filled the streets once again. Large craters exposed underground transit lines, and most surface roads were completely impassable from structural damage and debris.

Looking around at his team, as they worked fervently to coordinate with allied forces, Shepard glanced over to Ashley. "Get me a status report from all active divisions. I want a citywide damage assessment, and a list of KIA. Have we heard anything from Normandy?" he asked.

"Negative from the Normandy, Commander. I'll get those reports to you ASAP, though" Ashley responded.

"Alright, continue street by street sweeps; bring back as many of them alive as you can" Shepard instructed.

He took a seat at his terminal and began wading through the endless stream of messages and field reports.

"Admiral on deck!" Someone shouted as everyone in the room stood to attention.

Shepard walked over and greeted Admiral Hackett, who was being escorted by a pair of marines.

"Admiral" Shepard said as he saluted Hackett.

"Commander, what's the situation on the ground here in London?" the Admiral asked him as the two continued to the strategy map.

"Mostly just clean up duty now, sir. Without the Krogan backing them up, the Cerberus troops went down pretty easily. We've got patrols going door to door, but holdouts are widely scattered" Shepard responded.

"Excellent news, Shepard. I'm glad to hear things are beginning to run smoothly again. If you have a minute, may I speak with you out in the hall?" Hackett asked him.

Shepard acknowledged him and they walked out into the hall.

"Commander, given the circumstances, I'm inclined to make some concessions. Now that things are under control here, I want you to take some leave. I've spoken with Dr. Chakwas, and she's convinced that without significant R&R, you won't ever get back to a hundred percent. Make no mistake, Shepard, we we're grateful for everything you've done, and my offer still stands, but we need you back at full strength and full commitment" the Admiral explained.

"What does this mean, Admiral?" Shepard asked.

"Effective immediately, you are on indefinite administrative leave. Take some time off, heal, and get your affairs in order. You've done the heavy lifting, Shepard, I'll assign someone to head up the recovery effort; I won't take a chance with your long term health, so take however long you need to recuperate. On a personal note, Commander, if and when you do decide to come back, be absolutely certain that it's what you want to do. No-one will fault you for walking away now, but if you do decide to come back, we'll be glad… _I'll_ be glad to have you back" Hackett explained.

They shook hands before Admiral Hackett returned to the command room, leaving Shepard standing in the hallway, somewhat struggling to accept what happened. He returned to his quarters, and started considering his options. He couldn't remember the last time he wasn't on a mission of some sort. Even the time he spent away from the Alliance, he was commanding a Cerberus vessel.

He sat down at the table in his room, and fired up the terminal. After searching the extranet for a few minutes, Shepard was unsurprised to find that news reports had already begun pouring in from all across Earth. While it was a global assault, London was apparently the primary focus. Now that the incursion had been quelled, Earth's governments were sending resources to aid with the "Post-Conflict Operations" of rebuilding, rounding up enemy holdouts, and search and rescue. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in" Shepard instructed.

Garrus appeared, carrying two trays of food.

"I figured you might be hungry. You ok in here?" Garrus asked as he sat the pair of trays on the table and took a seat across the table.

"I'm alright, Garrus. I'm just looking at some news reports, I didn't even realize it was lunch time" the commander responded.

"Lunch?" the Turian asked, "lunch is usually served in the middle of the day, Shepard, the sun went down an hour ago."

Garrus pointed toward the window, revealing that it was, in fact, night time. Shepard hadn't realized he'd spent most of the day at his terminal. Garrus slid a tray over to Shepard, who opened it and took a whiff.

"Oh god, Garrus, what is this?" he asked, taken aback at the putrid odor emanating from the tray.

"Sorry, don't eat that, Shepard, that's mine. I must have given you the dextro food" Garrus replied.

They switched meals, and after a brief inspection, they dug in.

"So, any plans on how you'll spend your leave?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know; it still feels strange to me. There's so much work still to do, I don't know how to just not do anything" Shepard answered, taking another bite.

"I have a feeling you'll figure it out pretty quickly. Just remember, blinky flashlight heads are friendly now, even in the civilian world" Garrus joked, finishing his dinner.

"Alright Shepard, I can see you're alright. I imagine you have some things you need to take care of before you leave tomorrow" Garrus said.

They continued their chat while they cleaned up their trays from dinner. While they were talking, there was a knock at the door. Before either of them could say anything it flung open, revealing Tali on the other side.

"Shepard I need to…" she stopped when she saw Garrus in the room. "I'm sorry, I thought you would be alone" she acquiesced.

Shepard stood silently for a moment, the tension in the room was palpable.

Garrus eventually spoke up, "I'll talk to you later, Shepard. I need to make a call to the Primarch. Don't cause too much trouble while you're gone, would hate to have to bail you out of a Batarian prison or something." He gave the commander a friendly shot in the arm as he grinned halfheartedly and hurried out of the room.

Tali was fidgeting nervously with her hands, struggling to come up with something to say.

"So where did you run off to today, "Ms. 'Vas Normandy"?" Shepard asked her, breaking the silence.

"Um, well, yesterday, after you left, I received a message from the Admiralty Board. They said they needed to speak with me, and that it was urgent" she explained.

The commander packed a few of his uniforms, as he began gathering up his belongings.

"I heard about what happened, Shepard, I'm sorry" Tali said.

"It's a little strange, but I can't argue with the decision. My legs feel like they're being dipped in lava every time I even think about moving too quickly" Shepard complied, as he loaded up his terminal and pulled out the crate containing his armor.

"So… have you decided how you're going to spend your time away?" she asked nervously, beginning to fidget with her hands again as she spoke.

"I don't know, honestly. I think I might go visit Tuchanka for a few days; drag Grunt along and the two of us can go test out some high explosives. I suppose I'll figure out where I'll go from there, when I get there" Shepard conjectured.

"Well, that's actually what I came to talk to you about" Tali began, "when I contacted the Admiralty Board, they strongly suggested that I return to Rannoch; they asked me to bring you along. The Admirals want to formally thank you for helping our people reclaim the home-world, and… I want you to come, too" Tali started to stammer, "unless, that is, you know, unless you really wanted to go to Tuchanka, which I would totally understand. I can tell them you weren't able to come, and I'm sure they….."

"Tali" Shepard interrupted her "I'll come with you."

He threw a few more things in his bags, and searched the room to make sure he had everything.

"Well that's… thank you, Shepard. Meet me in front of the hospital tomorrow morning; and wear your armor" Tali instructed as she turned towards the door.

"Yes, Admiral Tali'Zorah" Shepard joked as he started to gather up the bags he packed.

Tali stopped at the door and turned towards him. She hesitated for a moment before turning back and walking out.

He placed his things next to the door, and surveyed the room again. Not much had changed after he packed, but the room still felt empty now. Shepard lied down on his bed and closed his eyes. He wondered where Liara was, and if she was ok. He hoped that everything on Earth would be alright until he got back.

The sun crept in through the window as the faint sound of chirping birds caused Shepard to stir. A breeze rattled the dew covered window as he rose to his feet. There was an almost unsettling calm as he walked over and looked out across the city. Teams of Geth were scattered about, repairing what had been damaged. Much of the rubble had been cleared away overnight, but the buildings and roads still bore the scars of militant occupation.

As he was surveying the city, Shepard's Omni-tool began to flash. He lifted it up to eye level and Tali's image appeared before him.

"Shepard" she began, "the transport will be here in fifteen minutes. I'm just packing up a few last things and I will meet you outside."

He started putting on his armor when there was a knock at the door.

"It's open" Shepard directed as the hatch flung open.

James and Ashley strode in as the door sealed behind them.

"I had a feeling your vacation was going to require body armor, Loco" James jested.

"You've got to wear a mask when you travel with Quarians, Vega" Shepard chided amicably.

"Well, that explains why 'Sparks' is in such a good mood today" James said.

Shepard finished putting on his armor, "care to help me with my bags, Lieutenant?" he asked.

They gathered up the luggage, and set off to the front of the hospital. As they walked through the hall, several of the military personnel saluted, and wished Shepard luck. When they reached the door, Tali was waiting for them, along with a pair of Quarian Marines.

"We'll get those for you, Shepard" one of the Marines said as they gathered up Shepard's bags and carried them out to the shuttle.

Ashley, James, Shepard and Tali were left standing in the doorway of the hospital.

"Take care, Commander. Try and get some rest while we're back here doing all the work" Ashley joked.

"Vega" Shepard began as he extended his hand to James.

"Don't go getting all mushy on me now. You'll be back, loco" James replied as he shook Shepard's hand.

The four said their goodbyes, and then James and Ashley disappeared back into the hospital.

"So, Shepard, I'm glad you remembered to wear your armor, but the Death Mask?" Tali jabbed playfully.

"And here I thought you'd like it. It did keep you from getting exiled, after all" Shepard joked back as they boarded the shuttle.

"No, that was you. Although I think it may have had an impact on Admiral Koris" she teased as the shuttle lifted off.

After a ten minute flight, they came upon a decommissioned military base. Many of the buildings were derelict, rot and decay had even collapsed some of them completely. The shuttle touched down outside a rundown hangar as a team of Quarians approached.

"Commander Shepard, Tali'Zorah, welcome to 'Kanlus'. My name is Van'Laiia; I'll be making sure you get on your way. Your shuttle will be leaving in about thirty minutes" the lead Quarian said as the others gathered up what was in the transport and carried it off towards the hangar. "I'll be inside if you need anything before you depart" he instructed as the group headed towards the hangar.

"What is this place, Tali?" Shepard asked.

"When the relays went down, our fleets were stranded in the Sol system. In order to conserve resources on the flotilla, many of my people took up residency on Earth. Even though we've achieved a respectable standing among the other races in the galaxy, as a people we'd still prefer to be around other Quarians, so, many flocked together. They established this place as sort of a "Quarian Haven" on Earth, and for many, this has become their home" Tali explained.

"But the relays are working again. I assumed the Quarians would be anxious to return to Rannoch" Shepard suggested.

"Like I said, this place has become home for many. Whatever their reasons, they have decided to stay here, at least for now" she said.

The two wandered through the small settlement, and Shepard was somewhat surprised to find how different it looked from the ground. While many of the buildings were aged and weather beaten, they were supplemented with technological upgrades. Most of the holes had been patched, and kinetic barriers were prevalent on major buildings. The Quarians had even established large agricultural pods for supporting the populace.

Tali and Shepard returned to the hangar where Van'Laiia was. They entered and found him sitting at a terminal.

"Your shuttle will be here momentarily to take you to join up with the fleet. You'll be docking with the 'Raldus' and from there it's a straight shot to Rannoch" Van'Laiia explained.

The two walked outside and awaited the arrival of the transport. There were a few other Quarians outside, also.

"I'm glad you decided to come with me, Shepard. It will mean a lot to my people to have you visit the home-world you reclaimed for them" Tali said.

"They did it on their own; all I did was show them how" Shepard replied.

"You and your modesty, 'Shepard Vas Normandy'" she joked in response, "to this day, you are the only person I know who has prevented a war by yelling."

After a few minutes, a Kodiak landed in the clearing outside the hangar. The Quarians loaded up the two's bags as Shepard and Tali boarded the shuttle. It lifted off and headed straight up. As they cleared the atmosphere, they saw the Citadel, still in orbit and seemingly deserted.

"My god" Shepard said aloud.

"I know it's hard to believe what it is now, instead of what it used to be. But my people and the Geth are working around the clock to get it operational again" Tali said.

Shepard cocked his head to the side, "Settle a bet for me" he began, "any word on the Keepers?"

"A lot of them were blown out into space, I guess. Some of them were probably burned when that explosion happened. The Geth found several of their bodies scattered throughout the station, I haven't heard of any being found alive, though" Tali answered.

The shuttle approached a small fleet of Quarian ships; at the center was a large cruiser. They pulled up to a small docking port on the starboard side.

"Should I expect any more 'family meetings'?" Shepard asked with a chuckle.

Tali looked over to him, and even behind her mask, Shepard could tell he was getting the "death stare". As the hatch flung open, they were greeted by a team of Quarian marines.

"Welcome aboard the "Raldus" Tali'Zorah, Shepard. We'll be departing for Rannoch as soon as one of our teams of engineers returns from the Citadel project, which should be any time now. In the meantime, Leezer will show you to your quarters. We have to conserve space, so the two of you will need to share a cabin. I hope that won't be a problem" the lead Quarian said as a smaller male Quarian in a brown colored Enviro-Suit walked to the front of the group.

"My name is Leezer'Din Vas Raldus. If you two will follow me please…" the Quarian instructed as Shepard and Tali followed him through the corridors of the cruiser.

"Ya know, Shepard, I took part in one of the 'N7: Special Ops' groups during the war" Leezer said as they walked.

"I heard about those groups, and that they were instrumental in holding a lot of contested territory" Shepard replied.

"Well, I don't know about all that, I just like to think we helped. I spent most of my time on Cyone, at a reactor facility. I met up with a Captain Riley; she used to brag about meeting you" Leezer explained.

"How is Riley? I haven't heard anything from her since that" Shepard asked.

"I couldn't tell you, honestly. After the war ended she got called away by the Alliance and our team was disbanded. It annoyed me at the time, but I wouldn't mind hearing one of her "Toxic Gas" stories again" Leezer reminisced.

They walked through a small, cramped commissary and down through another tight corridor. They reached a hatch at the end, and Leezer turned around to face them.

"Well, here we are" he said to Tali and Shepard as he opened the hatch and led them inside. "The room has been air-sealed, and that's a decontamination chamber you just walked through, have to be careful, ya know? Like the Sergeant said, we'll be on our way just as soon as our engineers have boarded. If you need anything, come find me, otherwise Admiral Tali'Zorah knows her way around a ship."

"Thank you Leezer" Tali said as he turned and exited the room.

Tali and Shepard sat down at a small table.

"I'm really glad you came, Shepard" she said. .

"I'm glad I came, too. Last time I was on a Quarian ship I was yelling at a room full of people, though" Shepard jested.

"Well, hopefully that won't be necessary this time" Tali replied, "thank you again for not revealing what my father did, to the Admirals. If you had, well, I don't even want to think about what might have happened."

"You don't need to thank me, Tali, for anything" Shepard said poignantly.

As they were talking, they felt a shift in the cabin. Shepard jolted to the side, and hit his head on the wall.

"Well, I guess the engineers are back" Shepard speculated, straightening his helmet as the ship lurched forward.

"Sorry about the cramped quarters, Shepard. I can ask if they have a room with a fish tank available" Tali joked.

"Everybody has jokes about the fish tank" Shepard said with a chuckle.

"Actually I just think it's funny, and kind of sad, that you couldn't stop killing the poor creatures until you installed that automatic feeder. Every time we would dock at the Citadel, and a delivery would show up, Engineer Daniels and I would make a bet on how long this one would last" she heckled.

"Alright, alright" Shepard digressed, "all this talk about fish is making me hungry."

"Commander Shepard!" she teased, "all this time you told me it was Javik who tried to eat your pets!"

"It was! But Grunt was the only one to actually pull it off" he joked back with her.

Tali was laughing hysterically under her mask, and Shepard chortled right along.

"Alright, let's go see if we can find something to eat. Would hate to have you survive on nutrient paste for the whole trip" Tali said as the two of them stood up and headed out of the cramped room.

They proceeded down the corridor, towards the commissary they passed through earlier. The hall was typical of a Quarian ship; small and dark, with exposed pipes running the length of it. They had to dodge several Quarians on their way there. When they arrived in the eatery, it was completely empty, save for a few workers. There were a couple tables in the middle of the room, just past them was a small counter with a male Quarian in a 'burnt orange' exo-suit.

"I'm going to go out on a limb, and guess that you're the reason I just got this shipment of 'human-friendly' food" the clerk said as Tali and Shepard approached.

He placed a pair of small sealed trays on the counter, and then two small rubber tubes.

"You eat this one" the Quarian said as he tapped on one of the trays, "if you eat the wrong one, you'll wish you hadn't."

Shepard tried to pay for the meals, but the Quarian waved it off. Shepard thanked him, and then he and Tali proceeded to a table.

"This is really exciting, Shepard" Tali said, "To be travelling to the homeworld of my ancestors. I can't wait to see it."

Shepard smiled under his mask at her effervescence. He hooked one end of the hose to the tray, then the other end to a small port on the bottom of his mask.

"You know, I don't think I've ever used this before" he joked.

While they were eating, Leezer appeared.

"Shepard, Tali'Zorah, I'm sorry to interrupt you while you're eating, but the captain would like to speak with you when you have time" he said.

"Thanks, we'll head right over there" Shepard replied as Leezer nodded and headed towards the counter.

"Well, let's not keep the captain waiting" Shepard said as he disconnected the hose from his helmet.

Tali finished her meal and the two stood up and walked to the flight deck.

The bridge was a larger, two tiered room with a captain's chair on the upper, looking over a dozen other manned stations. Tali and Shepard entered, and were greeted by the captain. She was tall, especially for a Quarian, and her suit was bright red with a dark mask.

"Admiral Tali'Zorah, Commander Shepard, my name is Captain Zal'Donis Vas Raldus. I'm honored to have you both aboard. We'll be entering the Tikkun system in the morning. We had to take an alternate route around Krogan space, because a few of the relays are unresponsive" she informed them.

"Unresponsive? That's odd…" Tali said skeptically.

"Most likely just some hang ups after the reconstruction, I guess as smart as they've become, the Geth aren't perfect after all" Zal'Donis quipped.

Shepard folded his arms disapprovingly, fortunately for the captain she couldn't see the face he was making behind his mask.

Zal'Donis continued, "They'll probably have them up and running before the fleet heads back to the Citadel, though. As soon as we venture through the 'Perseus Veil' I need you to have your things ready to go. I've got a crew I need to transport back to the Citadel by the end of the Solar Day, tomorrow. Also, one more thing; I must request that you remain in your cabin for the duration of the trip, Commander, as a precautionary measure against possible contagion. I see that Leezer'Din has been assigned as your adjutant. Just let him or Tali'Zorah, or myself, know if you need anything."

The three exchanged pleasantries and then Shepard and Tali headed back to their quarters. They hadn't noticed it before, but as they weaved their way through the corridors past the throngs of Quarians, there was a rolling silence that seemed to follow them.

"With all that's happened, it's easy to forget that my people are still extremely susceptible to foreign infection" Tali said somberly.

"And here I thought they were just awe-struck at being in the presence of the great "Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy"" Shepard teased.

"Or maybe that helmet really does intimidate people" Tali quipped in response.

The two returned to the small cabin and awaited their voyage through the Perseus Veil.


	10. Beyond the Veil

Chapter 10: Beyond the Veil

Shepard and Tali sat in their cabin as the "Raldus" continued cruising towards its destination.

"So, how do you think your people and the Geth getting along?" Shepard asked.

"You mean on Rannoch? I imagine there is still tension, but it's not like war has broken out or anything" Tali replied. "As far as what it's like having Geth and Quarians walking side by side without shooting at each other, you'll find out the same time I do. I haven't been back to the homeworld since the day you destroyed that Reaper. The other Admirals _had_ discussed creating settlements adjacent to the existing Geth 'cities' but that's about as much as I know."

The ship ventured onward, bouncing from relay to relay throughout the night. Shepard had fallen asleep at the table, his head resting on his arms which were folded in front of him. Tali was bustling about, gathering everything together in preparation for their departure to Rannoch.

Shepard woke up, and slowly lifted his head off of the table. "Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked Tali upon seeing her scampering back and forth.

"A little, maybe" she replied impetuously. "We're passing through the Perseus Veil soon, Shepard. We'll be switching over to a shuttle and we have to be ready to go."

He stood up from the table, stretching as he moved towards his small pile of luggage.

"Don't be nervous" Shepard said reassuringly as he moved all of the bags next to the door.

"Nervous? Me? I'm not nervous, why would I be nervous? Are you nervous?" Tali replied apprehensively.

_"Transportation to Rannoch surface departing in twenty five minutes. All assigned personnel report to shuttle bay "G14" for decontamination procedures"_

"Keelah, we have to hurry" Tali said, gathering up her bags and slinging them over her shoulders.

The two hurried out into the corridor, all their belongings draped across them. When they reached the boarding area there were close to a hundred Quarians standing in lines leading up to four shuttles, waiting to pass through decontamination. As they got in the back of one of the lines, Leezer approached from behind them.

"Here, let me help you with those" the shorter Quarian said, grabbing a few of the bags from Shepard and Tali. "I'm pretty excited; this is my first trip to the homeworld and I hope it's as beautiful as I've imagined" Leezer was beaming under his helmet.

"There is nothing like it" Tali replied.

The three of them passed through decontamination and boarded the transport.

The small ship lifted off and slid out into space from the open hangar. The Quarians inside the shuttle swarmed to the windows, many of them had not yet seen their homeworld up-close. As they sailed closer, the steel blue surface of Rannoch could be seen against the bright orange backdrop of "Tikkun", the system's sun. Though its sky was teeming with Geth orbital stations and satellites, the view of their destination was breathtaking for everyone aboard.

As they descended into Rannoch's atmosphere, the vast desert landscape could be seen for miles under the dark blue sky. There was a large city on the horizon, with several towering structures rising out of it, making for an imposing silhouette as they jetted onwards. As they flew, they passed over several small agricultural settlements, comprised mostly of a few small 'box shaped' domiciles akin to human colonial structures which were staffed with both Quarians and Geth platforms.

As they cleared the threshold into the city, both Shepard and Tali were astonished at what they saw. The architecture was a dark metallic grey, the tall buildings blocking out nearly all the sunlight. Luminescent pods lined the streets, giving off a murky neon purple haze. The buildings more closely resembled tall servers, giant metal beams lined with cables and flashing lights of many colors, but few windows to speak of.

They touched down on a small landing pad, just at the edge of the city. As the hatch flew open, there was a near stampede to the exit. In a matter of seconds, everyone aboard had vanished, leaving only Shepard, Tali and Leezer still in their seats.

"Oh, go ahead" Tali said considerately as Leezer leapt to his feet and darted out.

The two gathered up what they could carry and stepped out onto the landing pad. They were greeted by Admiral Shala'Raan Vas Tonbay, who was flanked by a large, red Geth Prime unit.

"Welcome back to de homeworld Tali'Zorah" Raan said as the two embraced. "And welcome back to you of course, Captain Shepard" she continued as she grabbed Shepard and hugged him as well.

"Uh… thank you Admiral. It's still 'Commander' though" Shepard replied uneasily as he patted her on the back.

"Of course, my apologies, Shepard. De other Admirals also wish to express their welcome to you, and they regret that they couldn't be here to greet you in person" Raan said.

"Shepard, Commander" the Prime Unit spoke up, "This unit has been assigned to welcome you to Rannoch on behalf of the Geth Consensus." The large synthetic extended its 'hand' towards Shepard.

Cautiously, the commander reached out his arm and shook the Geth's hand. "Thank you both. I'm honored to be here, and glad to see the Geth and Quarians getting along so well" Shepard acknowledged.

"It has been a long journey, but thanks to you we've made it this far, Commander" Raan said, casting a friendly glance towards her synthetic compatriots. "Come now, both of you must be tired from your journey. We have accommodations arranged for you, for as long as you will be staying here with us" she explained.

"Shepard, Commander. Do you require assistance with transportation?" the Prime asked.

Shepard nodded as the Geth summoned a pair of smaller platforms, who walked past him and Tali, then carried their luggage to a waiting sky-car.

"Thank you, I can take them from here" Raan said as she, Tali and Shepard walked towards the vehicle and climbed aboard.

The car lifted up and sped off, leaving the team of Geth on the platform.

"So, Admiral, I like what you've done with the place" Shepard said as they cruised through the mechanized landscape.

"Tank you Shepard. Not long ago, had you told me that our people and de Geth would be working side by side, I would have laughed you up and down de Flotilla. But to see it now, how much our peoples have managed to accomplish in such a short time and to think back at how much time we wasted..." Admiral Raan began.

"None of that matters now, what matters is this" Tali interjected, gesturing towards the city, and its inhabitants.

The shuttle rounded a corner, and approached a large section of the city that was in stark contrast to the rest. An open plain, sparsely dotted with small shrubs was encircled by a short wall of white stone. At its center was a clearing, paved in gray granite-like material. Jutting towards the sky were five cylindrical structures of the same substance, each twelve stories tall with domed canopies of dark thick glass. The towers encircled a smaller structure reminiscent of a circular open air garden, lined with stone benches and ornate vegetation.

"Shepard, Tali'Zorah, welcome to de Conclave" Raan said as the shuttle neared its landing.

They touched down and the doors of the sky-car swung open.

"Keelah" Tali muttered as she stood up and looked around.

There were hundreds of Quarians walking about the grounds, carrying on conversations and laughing, alongside a handful of Geth platforms that were engaging in talks with the same Quarians (although a laughing Geth unit could not be found). The sun shone more brightly in this area than in the rest of the city, creating a distinctive shimmer along the buildings.

As they stood, awestruck at the beauty of the architecture, three repurposed Geth Rocket Drones landed in front of them. Shepard instinctively reached for his weapon, only to discover it wasn't there.

_"__Personal Assistance Mech 487HB92 present. Do you require assistance?__" _the drone asked in a tinny, yet friendly, voice.

"Yes, please take these bags to de top floor of tower three" Raan instructed as the drones quickly gathered up their luggage and zipped off towards one of the tall structures.

"What is this place, Raan?" Shepard asked as he looked around.

"Dis is de seat of government of the Quarian and Geth people. Each of these five structures is a living quarters for members of the Admiralty Board, and the Conclave" Raan explained. "Each tower houses one Admiral on the top floor, and Conclave representatives of that Admiral's respective fleet in the floors beneath them. In the center is the primary meeting ground where members of the Board and Conclave may come together to discuss matters of importance to our people."

"And what about the Geth?" Shepard asked.

"Have you ever seen a Geth sleeping, Shepard?" Raan asked jokingly. "The Geth have hubs throughout the city, and several around the Conclave grounds. In governing, they have an equal voice to that of a Quarian; however, they choose mostly to advise us on technical and infrastructure matters. The only time the Geth speak out in a proceeding, is when something being discussed could damage their standing or be dangerous to their existence. You will find Geth throughout the grounds here, and occasionally in any of the towers, however, they do not enter the personal living areas of the inhabitants."

"I assume they stay away from Admiral Xen entirely" Tali quipped.

"You two will be staying in 'Tower Three' which is just opposite from where we're standing" Raan instructed as she pointed towards one of the towers. "Take de lift all the way to the top floor. I will leave you to get settled, I have something I must attend to. Meet with me later if you would like to look around de city."

Admiral Raan scurried off, leaving Tali and Shepard standing in the courtyard.

"I really gotta hand it to the Quarians and Geth, Tali" Shepard said as he admired once again.

"This is… incredible" Tali began, "I'm not surprised to see my people working with the Geth, but this is more than I ever could have hoped for. On Haestrom I was astonished by the architecture of the ancient Quarians and I wondered what it was like for my ancestors to live without masks. Now, I'm seeing something even more beautiful right before my eyes."

"Come on, let's go check out the view" Shepard suggested.

They strode through the communal area to the base of tower three. Walking through the door, they found that the interior of the structure was very similar to the exterior. Through the doorway was a short walk to a wide circular lobby. The perimeter was lined with doors leading to living quarters, and at the center was a round elevator shaft. The floor and walls were of the same gray granite.

Tali ran her gloved hand along a gold colored guard rail as they approached the door to the lift. Even with her mask on, it was quite obvious that she was smiling. As the elevator reached ground level, they boarded and Shepard pressed the button for the Admiral's Level.

"Well, I see the elevator music hasn't changed in the last three years" Shepard joked at the digital Muzak coming from the speakers as they ascended towards the top floor.

They slowed to a halt. There was a slight hesitation and then a jostling as the lift settled into its placement. The hatch slid open, but nobody got out. Shepard looked over to Tali, who was frozen in place.

"After you, Admiral" Shepard said softly as he motioned towards the doorway.

Tali looked over at him then slowly stepped forward, surveying every inch of the room as she walked. The floors were white and black stone, bearing a close resemblance to marble. Outside the elevator door, the room was completely open. There was no ceiling, simply the glass dome that was visible from the outside. Around behind the elevator shaft was a set of stairs, leading up to a partial second level.

"Shepard, you have to see this view" Tali exclaimed as she pressed her hands up against the tinted glass.

He walked up next to her and peered out.

"Some pretty good inspiration for that poem, wouldn't you say?" Shepard asked as he removed his helmet for the first time in two days, revealing a wide grin. "What do you suppose the odds are that this place has a shower?"

He set the helmet down and walked up the stairs. There was a pair of bedrooms at the top, one larger master bedroom and a smaller one, up against the canopy. They were separated by a large bathroom which, fortunately for Shepard, had a shower in it. He walked into the smaller of the two bedrooms and found his belongings placed neatly on the bed. He pulled out some clothes and, after placing the rest of his things on the floor, returned to the bathroom.

After about fifteen minutes, Shepard emerged from the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel and wearing an "N7" hoodie and similarly colored jogging pants. Everything was silent as he descended the staircase.

"Tali?" Shepard called out, receiving no response.

He searched around, checking the common area and dining room before tossing the towel onto the back of the couch. He returned to the dining area (which was little more than a two person table next to a countertop) and found a note:

_"Shepard,_

_I needed to go speak with Admiral Raan. Don't forget you're under doctor's orders to rest. I'll be back soon._

_~Tali"_

"Well, that's descriptive" Shepard muttered to himself as he found a seat on a small black couch and turned on "ANN".

He pulled up his Omni-tool, and found a message from Liara dated from the day before. He flipped a few buttons and the message began to play. Liara's image appeared in front of him:

_"Hello Shepard. I am sure you've been worrying about me, at least part of me hopes you have been. I wanted to let you know that I am safe. Javik and I arrived on Eden Prime this morning, and we will be staying here for a few days. Javik says there may be more data discs buried near where we located his stasis pod. It is quite amazing really, Eden Prime. The colony is flourishing, Shepard. With the help of ExoGeni and a sizable Alliance presence, the monorail system's repairs are well underway and the farm land is nearly completely usable once again. The colonists have been very accommodating so far. Many have offered to assist us with our project and they have even given us a place to stay near the dig site. It is night here, I am not sure what time it is where you are, but I hope that you receive this soon. I am not sure where we will travel next, but Javik ensures me that there are near limitless possibilities. Please take care of yourself, Shepard. I will send you another message as soon as I am able."_

Liara's image smiled weakly as the video flickered out. Shepard smiled in return, then tilted his head back and folded his arms across his forehead. His stomach began to rumble. He stood up and walked back up the stairs to his room, and searched through his bags for something to eat. He found some pouches of food and bottled water. He gathered some up, along with his terminal, and then returned to the couch.

He sent off a few messages, letting his friends know that he had arrived safely, and then began flipping through the extranet. Per ANN (the Alliance News Network), Allied forces were trying to rebuild Earth, but were still fighting occasional pockets of Cerberus resistance. The Alliance First Fleet was orbiting the planet as a whole, while the Sixth Fleet had been concentrated directly over London. Admiral Hackett ordered the Third and Fifth Fleets to guard the Charon Relay and they were thoroughly screening every vessel that came through.

There were also recurring problems with connectivity between Mass Relays. Though the interruptions were primarily focused around Inner and Outer Council Space (with the exception of a few occurrences in Alliance Space), their episodic nature bred dismissiveness, being attributed to technical glitches as a result of the damage they sustained during the Reaper War. Shepard continued searching, but turned up little new useful information.

Several hours passed. The sun had begun to set over Rannoch's horizon and Shepard rested on the couch, playing his fourth game of chess against the VI on his Omni-tool.

"Practicing for that rematch with Specialist Traynor?" Tali's voice inquired facetiously.

"I think I'd rather be playing her than this damned thing" Shepard said, frustrated as the screen from his Omni-tool flashed bright red and displayed the word "Checkmate". "How did your meeting go?"

"It went about how you'd expect a meeting with the Admirals to go" Tali replied, taking a seat on the other end of the couch. "I see you've made yourself comfortable, however" she continued.

"I didn't find my suit jacket and slacks to be appropriate attire for lying on the couch playing chess, and eating meal pouches" Shepard contested humorously.

"I agree. Perhaps that outfit would be better suited for a semi-formal meeting with the admirals. Perchance one that they invited us to, tonight, in about two hours, that I told them we would attend" Tali inferred, cautiously.

"Geez Tali, we haven't even been here for a day and already you're being charged with treason?" Shepard joked.

Tali chuckled, slightly annoyed, "I see you have no problem with hitting below the belt, Commander."

"Why should I start now?" he continued, "you made a 'Qwib Qwib' joke, didn't you?"

Tali was laughing even harder now. Shepard smiled, stood up and walked towards the stairs.

"I'll go to the meeting, but only if we can find some real food afterwards" Shepard joked as he dangled an empty pouch before throwing it into the waste receptacle.

"Press the yellow button on the countertop" Tali instructed, still snickering.

Shepard walked to the counter and searched for the button. He looked over to her, squinting curiously as he pressed it. There was a brief rushing of air, and the countertop lifted up, revealing a refrigeration unit containing plentiful levo-amino acid based food. There were bottles of water, assorted vegetables and fruits, something that looked like cheese, even a few pieces of meat sealed in airtight bags.

"What, no Varren skewers?" he joked as he pressed the button again, retracting the storage unit.

"You have to get dressed up for those, Shepard; a suit perhaps?" Tali jested in reply.

"Alright, I'll take the hint" he conceded, turning to the stairs and walking up to his room.

"And leave the helmet!" he heard Tali say from downstairs as he closed the door behind him.

After he was finished changing, Shepard descended the staircase to find Tali fiddling with her Omni-tool.

"Is this better than the sweatshirt?" Shepard asked teasingly as he spread his arms displaying the black suit he had donned. It was reminiscent of the formalwear given to him by Kasumi, except that the white accents were now blue.

"You look… very handsome…" Tali replied, seemingly confounded as she admired his attire.

"Uh, Tali… we probably shouldn't keep the admirals waiting" he suggested as he motioned towards the door.

"Huh…? Oh, right, um, just… let me… get the lights" she fumbled, waving her Omni-tool.

The overhead lights faded, leaving nothing but a few dim lamps to defy the ambient luminescence of Rannoch's sunset. The two paused at the sight of the alluring violet haze which shone through the now entirely clear partitioned dome.

Without uttering a sound, Tali approached the glass perimeter. Only a sliver of the sun remained visible over the horizon, casting a mesmerizing orange tinted haze across the desert plain. To her left, the city was emanating a soft blue glow as the many lights within began to flicker on, its skyline riddled with towers like fingers reaching towards the starry night sky.

Shepard approached behind her, placing his hand on the small of her back as she turned to him.

"Come on" he said with a smile, "Let's go see how it looks from the ground."

They returned to the middle of the room, and boarded the elevator. After another brief ride, they touched down at ground level and exited out into the courtyard. The plaza was less occupied than before, with only a handful of Quarians shuffling around. Some had Omni-tools drawn, apparently performing diagnostics on a few of the structures scattered about.

They reached the base of another of the cylindrical buildings, and walked in.

"So, should I expect the same old admirals?" Shepard asked as they stood waiting for the lift.

"For the most part, I guess. They've become a little more… friendly? I guess. We'll go with 'friendly'" Tali supposed as the hatch swung open and the two climbed aboard.

Tali pressed a few keys, and they shot up towards the top. When they arrived, the admirals were already seated around a large rectangular table.

"Ah! Commander Shepard!" Han'Gerrel bellowed as the admirals rose from their seats to greet him and Tali.

As they approached, the admirals encircled Shepard; shaking his hand and patting him on the shoulder while exchanging pleasantries.

"Come! Sit! We have much to discuss!" Zaal'Koris proclaimed as they led Shepard to the table.

He looked over to Tali with surprise on his face as she struggled to stifle a loud snicker.

"Tali, come sit next to Shepard" Raan instructed, taking a chair on his opposite side.

When all the Admirals were seated, they looked around at each other. Raan stood up and extended her arms, proclaiming "Blessed be our ancestors, who have sustained us, and provided us a world which we now may call our own. Keelah se'lai"

"Keelah se'lai" the other admirals responded as Raan retook her seat.

"I hope you're hungry, Shepard. We've flown in a lot of food just for you" Han'Gerrel said.

"I actually am hungry, thank you. I only _recently_ discovered the supplies in the apartment" Shepard responded, glancing over to Tali.

After a few moments, a pair of automated carts came zipping out into the dining area. They slowly circled the table, stopping at each admiral's chair and reciting their name as each person took a tray of food.

_"__Tali__'__Zorah__"_ one of the carts buzzed.

Shepard reached back to grab her food for her. The little robot flashed red and backed away as a soft siren went off.

"Shepard, you must let Tali get her own food. These little things go crazy if you try to take something that wasn't made for you" Raan informed him as Tali reached back and took her tray.

_"Commander Shepard"_ it announced as it rolled behind his chair.

Tali reached towards the cart, receiving the same response. The little cart rolled backwards and the red light began to flash.

"What? I was just testing it" Tali teased, chuckling to herself.

After all the food and drink was distributed, the carts disappeared out of the room. Without warning, one by one the Quarians began removing their masks, startling Shepard.

Noticing his disposition, Daro'Xen scoffed "There is no need for alarm, Commander. Thanks to biomedical advancements, our immune systems have reached a point where we can be out of our masks for brief periods of time on the homeworld, even among aliens. We all might get a slight headache later, but it is no longer fatal. Besides, it'd be a little difficult to shove solid food through these helmets, wouldn't you agree?"

"Just caught me off guard, that's all" Shepard complied.

He looked around at the admirals. This was a first for Shepard, as he had never seen a Quarian without their mask on, except for Tali, whose eyes were fixed on the plate before her.

"Well, are we going to sit here and stare at this food, or are we going to eat it?" Han'Gerrel asked.

Without further hesitation, they dug into their meals. Shepard was surprised at how good freeze dried meat could taste.

"I have to say, admirals, I'm quite impressed at how far Rannoch has advanced since the end of the war" Shepard complimented before taking another bite.

"Well, you can thank Admiral Xen for that, for the most part anyway. Working _alongside_ the Geth, she has been instrumental in establishing infrastructure and converting existing structures into livable domiciles. Without her help we might still be huddling in small agricultural settlements like that one on Earth" Zaal'Koris explained. "Personally, I'm just glad she learned how to play nice with our new allies."

"There will be no problems, as long as they keep supplying me with their decommissioned mobile platforms to study" Xen quipped.

"You're still running experiments on the Geth? That's not what I expected…" Shepard started to say.

"Now now, calm yourself, Shepard. I have no ill intent here, actually quite the contrary. In our new partnership, I have been assisting the Geth with modifications, and upgrades to enhance the productivity and sustainability of their mobile platforms. The joy I take from my studies is merely an indulgence." Daro'Xen explained with a hint of pretentiousness.

"De Geth have equal standing in our government, Shepard. They are afforded the same protections and liberties that any Quarian has" Admiral Raan reminded him.

"It's a new day for the Geth and Quarian people, Commander Shepard; due in no small part to you, I might add" Admiral Koris proclaimed. "That being said, I suppose we should get to the reason we invited you here."

Taking lead from Zaal'Koris, Admiral Raan began "Shepard, there is no way to sufficiently express how truly grateful we are for what you have done for us; as individuals and as a people."

Admiral Koris continued, "You ended two wars in one effort. One that only recently came to the doorstep of every world in the Galaxy, but also one that was started in a time before anyone in this room drew breath, masked or otherwise."

Han'Gerrel followed, "You helped secure a sustainable world for not one, but two, quarrelling races. Your actions brought solace to millions of citizens of a wary people, who, with a few unfortunately placed hull breaches may have at any time been extinguished."

Next up was Admiral Xen, "With your help, the Quarian race has seen fit to reach for a higher goal than we ever thought possible; alongside the most powerful synthetic military force in the galaxy, our creations and newest comrades."

Lastly, Tali rose from her seat and looked down at Shepard. She said, "Ever since your first interaction with a Quarian, and throughout the years, you have been a true friend to our people; imparting upon us a kindness, friendship, a sense of dignity… and companionship that has been unparalleled by a member of any other race in the galaxy."

After Tali retook her seat, Admiral Raan explained, "This board has agreed to extend to you the honorary title of "Captain". This is the highest possible rank that can be afforded to you by members of our governmental hierarchy, and the first time in history that any non-Quarian has received such an offer. This is the greatest gift we can give to you in thanks for your actions. It is coupled with the eternal gratitude and friendship of de Quarian people."

After a moment of pause, Shepard stood up from his chair and looked around at the waiting admirals. "I am truly honored by this. I humbly accept your offer, and will bear this title with honor, and humility." He placed his hand Tali's shoulder as he continued "Even though I and this board haven't always seen eye to eye, I have always valued the friendship of the Quarian people, and have been fortunate enough to be personally acquainted with one of the best of her kind; without whom I may not have been lucky enough to be standing here today."

"Dat is excellent, Shepard. We will have a ceremony tomorrow, officially bestowing your title upon you. On a personal note, I do not believe I have ever seen Tali'Zorah blushing in such a way" Admiral Raan said.

"Keelah" Tali mumbled as she covered her face with her hand, causing uproarious laughter amongst the other admirals.

After dinner had concluded, Shepard and Tali exchanged their goodbyes with the other Quarians. They departed, going back down the lift to the ground.

"So, how much did you know about this?" Shepard asked teasingly as they strode across the now darkened plaza.

"Are you kidding? It was all my idea" Tali replied coyly. "This is a big deal to my people, Shepard… and to me."

When they returned to their quarters, Shepard unbuttoned his jacket and took a seat on the couch. Tali grabbed a couple of drinks from the dining area and sat down next to him.

"So, what should we toast to?" Tali asked, handing Shepard one of the bottles.

"How about for tonight we don't toast. Let's save our epitaphs and expectations for another day. Instead, tonight let's just drink, and enjoy the fact that we're here by no grand design, under the sky of the Quarian homeworld" Shepard submitted as he held the glass bottle of blue liquor at eye level.

She obliged by placing her mask to the side and raising her own bottle. The two sat and drank and reveled for a few hours before the day's events and subsequent libations overcame their willingness to stay awake.

"We should probably call it a night; you've… got… a big… day… ahead of you" as Tali spoke, she did her best not to slur her words. She stumbled slightly as she attempted to stand.

Shepard caught her arm as she nearly toppled over.

"Come on, let's get you to your bed" he said, putting his arm around her waist.

He grabbed Tali's mask and tucked it into his jacket before leading her up the stairs. When they reached the top Shepard pressed open the door to Tali's room with his free hand.

"Just a few more steps" Shepard instructed as the two stumbled through the door way.

They reached the bedside and Tali sat down on its edge. Shepard reached into his jacket to retrieve her mask, but it slipped and fell to the floor and he knelt to retrieve it. As he was fumbling around in the dark, searching for the mask, he felt a pair of hands on either side of his face. He raised his eyes to see Tali looking down at him.

He looked up at her, their eyes meeting as the moonlight cast a bluish glimmer across her face. A few silent moments passed before Shepard put one of his hands upon hers.

Tali looked away, embarrassed. "Shepard I…" she started to say.

"You don't have to say anything Tali" Shepard interjected as she turned back to him.

He held up her mask with his free hand and rose to his feet.

"Good night, Tali'Zorah" Shepard said gently as he placed the mask on the bed next to her and headed towards the door.

Her eyes followed Shepard as he strode to the hallway. "Vas Normandy" she whispered as the door closed behind him.

Notes: Hey everyone, thanks again for reading. The first ten chapters are in the books (so to speak) and it's been a blast writing thus far, so hopefully you're still enjoying. I've received some requests and some insights from a few of you, and I certainly am taking your advice into consideration as we continue on. So, as always if you have anything to add, questions, advice or suggestions, please leave a review or send me a message and I'll respond as soon as possible. I definitely appreciate it. Thanks again!


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